The Unwanted Visitor (FENNAH) [COMPLETE]

[JustBukharin]

- Pillow Talk -
(or 'How I discovered how Kivs flirt to each other')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


The room that was going to be mine for the night was incredibly small considering that I was supposed to share it with the newest element in my life.


Luna was… quiet. While that shouldn't say much about her personality, the fact she hadn't snapped and shown me an attitude different from the one she had shown in front of the rest of the Kivouack.


Restrained, quite mortified, but, most of all, incredibly loyal to Ludwig. The fact she ditched her assigned post out of spite against Yeshua was… troublesome for Ludwig, and that left her in a moral dilemma that saw her as the loser in either case.


Which is why, despite my interest in trying to have a discussion with her, I decided to leave her alone for the time being. She needed to recollect her thoughts, and adopt measures to avoid irking the Grand Voice any further.


And that was if I ignored the disappointment Fontaine showed to the blue-haired Kivouachian over this 'betrayal'. He wasn't outright angry, but the bitter tone in his wording just stuck around like the stern chiding of a tired grandfather.


That kind of stuff tended to stay around and make one think, especially if the individual is someone that wasn't that keen in breaking the rules so often.


In that blissful moment of quiet, I was visited by two beings and the first one was… Fleischer.


The first thing the wyvern did was storm me with question after question.


'Are you hurt? Did you come close to being injured by any of the attackers? Do you need moral support, because I have a chessboard around that we can use'.


I blitzed through the questions without offering much info since I was feeling way too tired to deal with this.


He was quick to leave before he had the chance of pressing some more about the situation, leaving me to face another concerned Kiv.


Hyzenthlay looked happy. Or she was trying to look happy over the fact that Lucy was no longer around me.


The murderous critter had left as soon as Sullivan led me around to where my bedroom was going to be. I didn't notice up until the man mentioned, interrupting his interesting story about his gardener, Xander, and his strange obsession with flowers.


Which also explained why, despite the deviated mind the owner of the house had, he felt unnerved by this bizarre worker of his.


Still, the squirrel kivouachian took a comfortable seat by my lap as I rested by the bed. I wasn't sleeping, but I was using that time spent in quiet solitude to think more on what had happened in my flat.


Shuck was possibly going to find it empty. There was no reason for Locket to return to the place if she knew I wasn't there. It was terrifying how I was being reminded how 'crucial' my wellbeing was to Ludwig and his group.


If I was caught now, then his headquarters here at the Croft Estate would quickly become problematic to stay bunked inside.


It was surprising how I had yet to be killed now that the opportunity was there for them to use… but I connected this to Hyzenthlay herself.


While the little creature was hardly capable of making a stand over someone vastly superior like Ludwig, the effects of me being 'removed' from the board would be unacceptable for Ludwig's interests over her 'growth'.


Lucy had barely mentioned why the Grand Voice had extended such a fierce guarantee on Hyzenthlay's safety, but I didn't need to be told the full story to realize why the squirrel-like Kivouachian was important.


As much as the Kivouack might have been a society born from genetic purity, with the strongest surviving and the weak perishing instantly, their current numbers were abysmal compared to what once was the host of Kivouachians living in the pre-Big Bang society.


Promoting new Kivouachians through the 'normal means' would also prove to be detrimental, considering the brutal tradition of newborns killing their own parents the moment they could.


It was a primal instinct that Ludwig knew wouldn't benefit their present, and thus he turned his attention in genetics.


Years spent stealing resources from influential scientists specializing in eugenics ended up boosting his chances of creating hybrid Kivouachians that could become full-blooded Kivs in due time.


And all of that without triggering the early murderous instinct his race was known for.


I guess that would explain why the Grand Voice was one of the main instigators of starting World War II despite Lucy's own reluctance to spark the war, and why he spent several years in Central Europe while the conflict raged across the continent.


One would usually stop to think that something's really wrong if Lucy is unwilling to go through some genocide, but no, Ludwig had been the one to start one of the worst events in history.


Nonetheless, my current situation hardly connected to this broad timeline. In fact, I don't think that me scratching the squirrel on her head as she napped on my belly could be correlated to something this murderous.


The silence was nice at first, but as the hours went by, I realized that I was rapidly becoming bored of this situation. Instead of trying to get a good night sleep as I knew that Luna would've done nothing if Lucy decided to pay a visit and jump at me, I opted to finally speak with my bodyguard.


Since she had stayed within the room only to avoid any more confrontations with Ludwig, Fontaine, and Yeshua, I thought it would've been nice to make a tentative bridge after that shaky first encounter.


"So… are you going to stay in that position for the whole day?"


She blinked, finally breaking from the distracted look she had over the now-closed door. Her stare trailed up to me, locking onto my face while displaying a quizzical expression.


"Mhh, what?"


"That corner looks uncomfortable," I pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want a pillow or something?"


A frown adorned her visage. "I'm… I'm fine."


I blinked, keeping quiet as she kept on with that staring for a while and… I shrugged.


"I'm sorry for… being rude," I backed out quickly, which ended up getting me a confused look returned from the Kivouachian.


…


"Why?"


Another blink, my stare returning to Luna with a questioning glance. "Hmm?"


"Why do you care?" She elaborated her query. "Is this some joke?"


"I don't see how that can become a joke," I rebuked. "But no, I was mentioning this since I know how painful it can be to rest for a long time in a sturdy place."


…


"Are you offering?"


I gave a calm nod, and Luna sighed as she stretched her hands as to wait for the little offering.


Picking up one of the pillows from behind my back to throw it at her, I noticed that the Kiv easily caught the soft projectile.


I thought that nothing would have continued out of that… and yet I was proven wrong when she started to hum.


"How did you… learn about us?"


I was tempted to grimace at this, but I gave her an indifferent look. "Lucy."


Her lips parted at the curt response, showing that the blue-haired being couldn't exactly imagine the crazy thing actually being responsible for my presence here.


"How?" It was the crystallization of all her skepticality over the matter.


"She visited around because she needed time off from the Estate," I answered with a sigh. "I was the 'lucky' fellow that she decided to pester."


"You didn't look too disheartened in the dining room," Luna pointed out and I nodded.


"It's less evident now but… she really enjoys putting me in deadly situations," I remarked. "And I still have a couple of scars to prove it."


The Kiv nodded, still looking unsure about the topic. "I still don't believe it that Lucy just… grew soft on you."


"I mean, there is the fact I… won against her this one time-"


"You what?!"


I tensed up as Luna's voice grew a little bit loud.


"How did you 'win'?"


"I scared her into capitulating. I started hitting her with a wrench and kind of frightened her to that point," I explained dryly, feeling rather uneasy at remembering that. "I mean, nothing else happened from that, other than Lucy being slightly less prone to murdering me."


…


"Mfff-hahahahaha," Luna started to laugh as I finished with my explanation, causing me to look rather… confused.


Did I say something wrong? Maybe that was something embarrassing enough to take a shot at Lucy? Was I going to be attacked by that bitch again because of that?


"That- That actually explains why- why she is so giddy about this- haha," The Kivouachian said before sighing mirthfully. "Wait, that means you don't know what the Selection and Refinement Act is."


"The what and what act now?"


For some reason, I felt my brain grow a tad bit… nervous. As if I was entering a subject I should've known about a while ago and… now could terribly traumatize me.


Oddly specific, but I've been there before.


"The Selection and Refinement Act is an old custom in the Kivouack in which two creatures, by fighting and bantering with each other, end up forming a strong bond. A bond only… mates should have."


...Oh God, no.


Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!


"WHAT?" Much to my surprise, it wasn't me that exclaimed that reaction. I was too shocked to speak coherently at the moment, and so the now awake Hyzenthlay followed my example by staring in utter shock at Luna.


The bigger Kiv stared down, a glimmer of surprise shining from her eyes as she regarded the hybrid.


"I-It's an old rule and… I don't think Lucy is being serious. I think everyone knows already that it's just a big prank from her to get a reaction out of you in a 'better' time."


"A-And you're sure of that… because?"


"Lucy isn't into males," Luna brought up tensely, ignoring my growing shock at these discoveries. Lucy was a lesbian? While I hadn't bothered asking her that yet, I certainly didn't see a need to do that when she was trying to murder me.


How was I supposed to know that?


"She had two mates, both were females," The blue-haired Kiv continued. "In fact, Felicity was her first partner."


Which would explain why Lucy was this much tense to be around her…


I wonder how badly that relationship had to have gone to cause the murderous critter to be so pissed at that single individual.


"What about her last mate?" I found myself asking. Now that I had some insight over Lucy's life before Earth formed, I really wanted to milk the opportunity as much as I could.


Knowledge is power, after all.


Luna looked incredibly unsure about giving an answer, and before she even got the chance of saying anything, the door opened to reveal a… grinning Lucy.


"Wakey wakey, you lazy fucks," The critter cackled mirthfully. "Lunch is almost ready, and I really don't want to miss my tea time."


...She didn't seem aware of our conversation from how happy she was but… I was kind of miffed about a topic about it.


"You twat, you pranked me!"


The sudden loud comment got a surprised look from Lucy.


"Prank? When?"


I narrowed my eyes at her. "Let me give you a couple of words: 'Selection and Refinement Act'."


…


"Oh-"


"Yep, and I'm really annoyed that you didn't tell me that I was literally flirting to you for a while now!" I interjected fiercely. "Like, why the fuck did you do that?"


She didn't reply, merely smiling smugly back at me and prompting me to stand up, with Hyzenthlay still latched on my shirt as I made my way towards the doorstep and ignored Lucy.


Luna followed shortly after, an uncertain look painted on her face as we both failed to register a single detail during the interaction.


The moment I wasn't looking at her, Lucy's face fell in a grimace and… annoyed look. What just happened, while partly entertaining, did put a wrench on her plan for sure.

 

[JustBukharin]

- Understanding the Deadly -
(or 'How I ended up learning a little more about Lucy, and then went to the woods')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


Sipping from a mug filled with cool beer for a brief moment, I allowed the beverage to refresh my mouth before I resumed eating my lunch.


I decided against going to eat with the rest in the dining room, my mind still having trouble fully grasping what I just discovered from Luna.


The kitchen quickly turned into my safest haven, one that I happily took while sharing some quiet moments with Shuck, Sullivan, and… Felicity.


To be fair, I wasn't expecting for the black-furred Kivouachian to be back so 'soon', and I was even more surprised when Lucy's former mate had decided to join for that separate lunch.


Hyzenthlay was, much to her own annoyance, taken to the dining room by Luna as Ludwig had requested both to be present at the 'reunion'. Luna mentioned keeping an eye out for her, saying that Ludwig wouldn't have wanted for the squirrel to be harmed by Lucy.


And then… there was the murderous critter indirectly (and possibly directly) responsible for my current conundrum. I wasn't aware where she had gone, but I had a particular idea that she wasn't dining with the other kivs.


It was a minor detail I had caught when I first met the rest of the 'cast', but I could tell that Lucy wasn't happy being there with the rest of her kind. It felt like irritation, disgruntlement as the few that spared her glances weren't giving her positive looks.


But why? Why would they feel so… disgusted by Lucy?


By kivouachian's standards, at least those Ludwig saw fit to tell me, the small thing was a prime example of all the devious and murderous traits that a kiv should have.


She was ruthless, deadly, and her insanity enhanced the effects her malicious attitude inflicted at her enemies. And yet she was disliked by those that sat at the table.


Could it be that Ludwig genuinely didn't believe in the need of major bloodshed, taking a different stance to his predecessor?


Locket created rules that were amoral and terrible, a travesty of what a modern human society hoped to achieve through common sense and kindness. But while her cruelty was evident, the rules helped her build a society that didn't have any equals.


It was quality and quantity, a harmonious mix derived from simplistic but effective methods of keeping 'purity' within the Kivouack.


But now that the old system wasn't there, the rules were turning in guidelines and… those that survived the end of the former home were unwilling to keep up with the same degree of violence that once was the quintessential trait of all Kivs.


So Lucy wasn't despised for how she normally behaved… but because she never changed after the destruction of the Kivouack. It was a strange occurrence that left me perplexed ,since the rest of her ilk looked to have yet to recover whatever monstrosity caused the Big Bang, leaving just her to appear this 'unfazed' by what happened.


Maybe I was missing crucial information that would explain this strange circumstance? Perhaps.


But I wasn't planning to risk my life to delve deeper in this maddening topic. I had yet to cope with the fact that something alive and sentient ended up becoming the cause of the Big Bang.


…


"So, what has you all quiet and awkward?"


I blinked, my attention returning to the real world as I noticed Shuck staring at me with an intrigued look.


"I was thinking about something annoying- by the way, you've yet to tell me how my flat is currently doing."


He hummed. "It was pretty much intact when I found it, right at the address you gave me."


...But?


I didn't ask as Shuck continued. "Still, some damage was done to the front door and the window you used to escape. The landlord took notice of this and was still trying to contact you when I first entered the place."


At least I wasn't going to deal with some petty aggressors. Hopefully the situation was as good as Shuck had delivered it now.


"And the bed was incredibly soft. I will certainly visit."


I sighed. "Goddammit Shuck..."


"You really tried it? How was it?"


"Definitively better than lying on one of the patches of grass outside. Maybe you could come too."


The female Kiv giggled. "I don't wish to impose. You told me Mason is a nice fellow and-"


"Ludwig mentioned you were a messenger, so I guess you could use my house as a temporary haven if you need shelter from time to time," I interjected with a nod. "And I'm glad that you still consider me 'nice' when you left me in the most embarrassing of situations."


…


"What?"


I sighed, deciding against bringing out the question directly.


"If I was subjected to the most embarrassing of pranks, would you help me out or not?"


The dark-furred kiv offered a surprised glance at this, turning to Felicity for some help only to be given a shrug from the female.


"It depends whenever or not you can take it and… whether it's amusing enough to not intervene."


Pragmatic and 'neutral' as usual. The nerve of this prick...


"I suppose it was funny enough to not tell me that I was literally flirting to Lucy at the table a few hours ago."


Felicity almost choked on some of her water, her eyes widening as she regarded me with shock and surprise at the blunt wording.


"Y-You didn't know?"


"Nope," I dryly remarked, my shoulders sagging as I slouched over the central table.


"Are you kidding? That was the most entertaining shit I've seen in centuries," Shuck finally answered. "But seriously, nobody told you about the whole Refinement and Selection Act?"


I shook my head, glancing to the side as I heard Sullivan sigh.


"Tough luck, mate," He commented calmly. "At least you've not been calling her dead mother any names."


I frowned. "I thought Lucy killed her parents and siblings when she was born?"


"You know what I'm trying to say, Mason," The fellow human rebuked with a hint of irritation. "You got it easy since it was just a prank and nothing serious. Lucy killed for less."


"And that actually worries me since she is playing around with me like that," I replied tensely. "This is the first time she does this and… maybe she's planning something malicious at the end of this?"


…


"No."


I blinked again, my attention shifting to Felicity.


"What?"


"Lucy can be cunning from time to time but… this is too light-hearted from her part to be part of some complex plan of hers," The female Kiv pointed out. "While I… don't have fond memories of the time we were together, I can recognize when she is being malicious or just… playful."


It took me a moment to remember that Felicity was once Lucy's mate. The first one, to be more precise.


From the way she brought up this detail, I knew that whatever put an end to their relationship must have been tough for Felicity… and enough to infuriate Lucy even now.


"I'm sorry for bringing up that if-"


"It's not your fault," She assured me quickly. "It's tough to remember those times and… I know you don't mean anything malicious. Actually, I think you're doing good with Lucy."


… "What?"


"She is usually more… oppressive about our past whenever I end up visiting here," She elaborated with a suave hum building up within her throat. "Yet I've seen her being more concerned in speaking to you. It's… refreshing, but also interesting since… she's Lucy."


I nodded, knowing well enough what she was alluding with that last bit. Lucy was never one to pass away the chance of instigating those that scorned her. It was a trait I learned about her pretty early on in our 'relationship'.


"Then I guess I will keep her around so that she won't disturb you for some time," I offered with a sigh.


"You make it sound like a burden you can't avoid," Felicity pointed out sternly. "But I can tell from earlier that you enjoy her company."


"I mean, yeah. She isn't too terrible to speak with when she doesn't have knives around to throw at me."


"That's a legitimate concern," Sullivan quipped as he finished drinking… coconut milk?


Seriously, why?


"But I think everyone saw how mellow Lucy is around you. Not the romantic mellow sthick… more like-"


"She trust you," Shuck said with a somber tone. "And… that's something she appreciates. Especially since she and Ludwig drifted apart ever since Dizzy Jones happened."


The dark-furred Kiv looked uneasy himself, maybe feeling guilty about that instance too.


Sighing, I stood up and took the now empty mug and plate by the sink.


"I will be wasting some time outside," I muttered as I approached the entrance of the kitchen, stopping by the doorstep. "I have… things to think about, and I think I'll take my angst elsewhere."


Sullivan lifted his half-empty mug, while Felicity and Shuck merely nodded as I walked out towards the main door.


Once I was out, I paused to stare at the beautiful day and… sighed as I felt a familiar weight burdening my right shoulder.


"You know, I was kind of expecting you to come here now," I mentioned calmly. "Care to accompany me for a walk around the forest?"


Lucy chuckled. "Oh? A natural trip over the mess of a forest the Estate has?" She inquired mirthfully. "And how did you end up wanting this?"


"Just wanted privacy… so we can actually speak without worrying of being eavesdropped on."


A blink, then two… then she frowned. "What?"


"I would like some answers, Lucy. I… I don't want to know everything, just need some clarifications on a few details."


"That's a tall request," She pointed out with an interesting tone. "But I guess this isn't just a bad joke from you."


"Nope," I affirmed firmly. "I genuinely feel like we need to have a conversation."


"About… what?"


"Stuff. We can talk more once we get going," I rebuked with a huff.


"But please!" She whined eagerly. "Now you have my interest and curiosity. Isn't that torture if you keep me hanging like this? Are you finally showing your true colors?"


… "What?"


The critter giggled. "As always, you lack the basic understanding of sarcasm."


"What can I say, your sarcasm is incredibly complex to decipher."


"Flatterer," The murderous kiv shot back with a sigh. "But really, what do you want to know?"


"I want answers. Answers that I could technically get from Ludwig… but I know those could be faked," I said while staring at her. "It's all about an individual, someone that we both know quite well."


"Oh?" Lucy hummed even more interested. "Is it Luna? Did she say something that got your little mind twirling in confusion?"


I shook my head. "Close but… no."


A frown adorned her face as her smile faltered. "Fontaine?"


"Nope."


"Yeshua?"


"No, no," I shook my head again to accentuate this response.


"Then I give up."


"Do you want a hint?"


She nodded and I sighed.


"Lucy Lacemaker."


…


"Yes, that's my name, but what does it have to do with-" Lucy paused, her eyes narrowing as a genuine scowl formed by her lips. "You prick."


"Let's call it even about that prank of yours and… we focus on this very topic."


"Why me? Do you wish to know more about my gruesome past?" She inquired mirthfully. "While I might have not served in the Yolsh, I've plenty of fun stories I can offer. Like when I got a thief's pretty fingers for-"


"I actually wanted to know… about you. Not what you did, or what you might have done, but who are you."


"I'm Lucy-"


"Someone that likes salt in her tea, has a propensity in bullying Hyzenthlay and a thing for knives."


…


"Oh, those kinds of things," She faked realization… but then sighed. "You're asking a lot."


"Am I?"


…


"You're a fucking cunt," She suddenly insulted, her mood dropping considerably. "I was expecting for you to play along… not to do this."


"And yet, you got something different coming your way," I rebuked mirthfully. "I hope this isn't too much for the Lacemaker."


A groan left her lips. "As if that could ever be too much for- What- What are you doing?"


I carefully took her out of my shoulder and settled her close to my chest.


"My neck hurts every single time I have to speak with you while you're perched on my shoulder," I responded coolly. "Since we've got a long conversation ahead of us, I rather not crack my neck and die on you."


"I promise you… I will play with your head if that happens."


I huffed. "Cheeky twat."


"Bite me, you prick!"


And with that, one of the most bizarre conversations ensued...

 

[JustBukharin]

- Words within the Silence -
(or 'How I bonded with Lucy in the calmest but most aggravating way possible')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


Soft humming was the first thing my ears caught as I carefully opened my eyes.


The quivering leaves still latching onto the tree's branches above covered the sky from my sight.


My body felt… refreshed. A little bit warmer than I thought and… slightly burdened.


Glancing down, I found Lucy still sprawled on her back over my chest, her hat now sitting on the ground as she quietly enjoyed the peace. Her humming remained the same, despite her bodily behavior suggesting that she knew I was now awake.


Part of me wanted to apologize at this. I had fallen asleep because of how we were set, my mind fleeting consciousness as I tried and failed to keep up with the lengthy truth that was Lucy's own mind.


It would be a lie to say that she fully opened to me. It would also be a lie to proclaim that I looked at her with a brighter shine than before.


Lucy was still Lucy in my eyes… but now I had context that made sense of her behavior.


Of her cruelty, of her reluctance before losing chances to interact with people, may those be her friends or enemies…


It was sad. Tragic, morbidly dreadful… but still sad.


I was correct with my own assumptions that Lucy hadn't changed much from her past self, a detail that stemmed so much from the way the other Kivouachians had adapted when they all started to live on Earth.


But her unwillingness to 'go forward' wasn't one born from such simple reasons. Nor did I want to compare those to silly and flimsy ones.


Celia. I wonder if you were as brutal as Lucy remembers you as.


Maybe she was worse. Much worse compared to this murderous critter.


Someone that stood above Lucy in terms of brutality? An interesting development for sure, but my fascination was akin to the one a connoisseur of exotic animals has for a newer 'discovery'. Pretty to look at, but I wasn't unwilling to approach the matter without proper precautions.


Not when Lucy could react badly to it. Not when I myself didn't need to know more than what the Lacemaker could tell.


But while one might be disgusted by Celia's reputation, Lucy found it endearing. It was a sign, one that was cemented when she easily lost to her.


Not a professional fighter, or at least not one that served within the Yolsh. A self-made monster, one that craved for the pain of others and herself.


Lucy thought herself ready to brave this creature, and in the end she found defeat and humiliation.


And a lover.


"Your heartbeat is… annoying."


My lips twitched, but I couldn't tell at first if it was annoyance or amusement playing around with my facial features.


At least she didn't know what I was thinking about at that moment.


"My bad," I replied with a faux saddened tone. "I will try to shut my heart altogether the next time I fall asleep."


Her hum finally 'changed'. It was momentarily, as if she was drowning down a mirthful chuckle at my response.


"I don't mind," She rebuked calmly, almost taking the offer way too literally. "It's still something to keep my head onto with this silence. Something that isn't the chilling wind we got there."


Managing to nod, I bit down a grimace at how cold the gusts of air were becoming despite the protection created by the trees surrounding us.


Maybe I should've used my jacket as a blanket. But then it would've been awkward to keep Lucy closer to my head. It was just awkward and plain unpleasant to even consider.


Despite my growing unwillingness to linger further in that small spot within the forest, my mind was still set to ponder and inquire.


"Do you reckon Mandus would love Earth?"


She blinked, staring up and giving me a quiet but strange look.


"Perhaps," Lucy muttered thoughtfully. "The Kivouack lacked the variety Earth has. It's not as brutal, but Mandus' curiosity would find it more interesting. But love? I can't tell."


Mandus, or 'Dizzy Jones', was the main reason the original state of things was shattered. The prime cause of the Big Bang, the monster that led to the creation of primitive Earth.


A single being- no, an entity that existed within the fabric of space and time… and that cared only for its own emotions. Something that could easily shred through Kivouachians' DNA…


It sounded so terrifying… and yet, just like Lucy described it, I couldn't help but be awed by it.


It wasn't by any means aggressive, or at least it wasn't until Locket challenged it.


It was natural for the leader of a society to establish if something new can be considered a threat to her position of power.


A massive mistake on Locket's part as she was mostly erased in that attempt. Her offense was taken as a declaration of war, and while the Kivouack had collapsed in a civil war at the exaggerated news that Locket had perished, many were forced to band up together against Mandus.


Too strong, and with a mind that was impossible to decipher. So aimless, but so cunning.


So curious, but so uncaring.


The novelty brought an end to centuries of peace. A peace born by violence, blood, and purity.


A peace that had no backup plans against such a troublesome force.


Lucy was one of the first ones to jump on board with that fun ride on Mandus' side.


Not because she found its reasoning compelling. But because she didn't have a reason to stay by the logical factions.


Her ties to society were severed when Locket tried to make the best out of that fight.


Lucy got a permanent scar on her eye, and Celia lost her life because of it.


Kivouachians thought that it was the work of Mandus, and that Lucy was just delusional to think that Locket would've been so desperate to remove two of her most problematic thorns.


Celia was a rogue. Someone without loyalty to anyone but to those she saw worthy of her attention.


And Lucy was a political troublemaker. One which highlighted the weaknesses of Locket's rule for several decades… and turning her a target for the former Grand Voice.


But Mandus didn't care for political games. It didn't have a reason to stick around for the power plays the Kivs had turned in their reasons to fight with each other.


Once again, proving that it was a beast driven by emotions. With a specific one standing out among the others.


Curiosity. That was the only hunger the creature cared for.


Was it still alive? Did it perish when the Kivouack was destroyed?


Or maybe it just left and wandered off to somewhere far and more 'consequential' to its eternal search.


The main question was left open with the lack of someone actually knowing about this.


"Why have you never told Ludwig about… the truth behind that day?"


A blink, then two… then she stared up and ignored me.


I frowned at the lack of a response, but I didn't press her. Something about her current expression, a mix of neutrality and uncertainty, told me that she was planning to say something.


It took her just a couple of quiet seconds to come up


"He wouldn't believe me," Lucy mentioned dryly. "Just like he doesn't trust me with where my allegiances were during the war."


And I could see him being like that. I could see several kivs demonizing what Mandus was, all for the sake of bringing fresher meat to their 'armies'.


Ludwig didn't strike me as someone that would believe those… but maybe, just maybe, Mandus had left an impression on him that formed this uneasiness in talking about it.


It sounded so illogical and odd coming from the current Grand Voice, but fear was never a bringer of sane thoughts.


As I concluded that trail of thoughts, I noticed her eyes were once more on me. There was no smile or anything that could highlight her usual mirthfulness.


That was perhaps the only time I saw Lucy so serious and… questioning.


I was spared a blink, and my mind finally realized what she was demanding from me in that silent gaze.


"I think… I will believe your version," I admitted tightly. "Not because of some silly reason… but I can tell when you're telling the truth, and… this is one of the times you're being honest."


"What if I'm crazy?" She asked in return. "What if I myself can tell the truth"?


"I'm quite sure that we've already established that a long time ago," I pointed out with a cheeky smile. "In fact, my trust about it is because I know when you get all crazy about stuff. Enough to even lie to yourself."


A snort left her lips… and then she laughed.


I held back from joining her in that, listening as she let out quite the amused laughing.


"Fair enough. But then, you would have to accept the fact that you need to be mad to recognize a fellow crazy," She mirthfully added and I shrugged.


"I'm mean, not really-"


"Oh please! I can tell you lost some marbles from time to time while I was around."


"People tend to become illogical when a murderer is on the loose," I rebuked.


"But I was just playing with you! If I had been serious then we wouldn't be having this conversation."


…


"Fair enough."


"And let's not forget that you're no innocent soul," Lucy pressed on giddily. "You sure know how to handle a wrench. I would say you have used it before against someone else."


...I tensed up, feeling rather uncomfortable now that she mentioned this.


"Now your heart is taking off with how quick it's going," The Kivouachian stated curiously. "Not only do you try your hardest to appear peaceful and innocent, but you also deny yourself the little crave you have over what happened a few years ago."


"How-"


"You should really keep your private documents in a safer place," She interjected, unwilling to let go of the topic. "But now it's a little late since I know what you're hiding away from the world."


...No.


"To be fair, your reasoning to hurt someone so badly is… humanly legitimate. Grievance can take you to a different level of emotions," Lucy mused quietly over the matter. "Especially when some malicious fools can't be dealt with because of pesky laws about peaceful diplomacy. Let me ask, did it hurt when she died and her death was rendered empty by the papers?"


My face grew paler, but a red hue was spreading as my embarrassment was matched by my anger.


"She didn't deserve that. She was… she was-"


"A victim to a group of tools with no brain or soul," The Kivouachian interrupted again. "One that was left unpunished. One that you knew that deserved all the pain you inflicted to them."


…


"Lucy-"


"Did it make you feel better? To maim some cocky morons that just didn't know better? To perpetrate justice right where no authority did anything?"


"No," I replied with a tight voice. My throat felt sore, my breath missing as I found my mind bringing up part of that troublesome past. The one bit I really didn't want to remember.


I could remember… gratification. Blood being spilled like that, their begging… it all rebalanced the unfairness handed out by the corrupt house.


There was no rich parent, no recommendation- nothing that could help save them from that beating.


It was brutal, it was swift and… I was never caught.


It was my own secret, one that my victims kept even now that they were far richer and 'better' than they were at the time.


Regret? Fear?


I couldn't exactly tell what prevented them from returning the suffering back on me.


But the only thing that I knew for sure was how badly I took the event once I was back at my old home.


I remember being mentally unable to leave the 'safety' of the bed. No matter how much I cleaned my hands, blood would still be there for my eyes to see.


Holding it all back was a struggle, one that was vanified more than once when people took notice of my sudden reluctance to go around for fun hangouts.


And now… that was behind me.


Her memory was… dignified? I thought that violent deed would've been the correct path, but the more I pondered about it, the more I felt I actually stained it.


Lucy was quiet, and didn't press for more as she turned on her belly, with her chin now settled onto my upper part of my chest.


She didn't move, she didn't speak. She merely thought as she studied my reaction.


I was letting out anything of my inner turmoil on my face, but my eyes were filtering out the emotional storm born from that reminder.


…


"You're… pathetic."


I blinked, staring down as I locked eyes on hers.


"You think that- that I was weak for not ending them?"


"Of course not," She rebuked dryly. "I already lost hope for that to ever become the case for you. The issue is… how you handled it. The reason you gave the action to be necessary!"


"It was a matter of."


"Revenge?"


"Justice."


"And that's what leaves me on the moral high ground," Lucy pointed out. "Because I'm coherent with my own reasons to do things. And you, someone that tries so much to deny the truth, can't handle the chances that it was actually a case of petty revenge."


"Shut up."


"Make me then, you fucking cunt!" She remarked loudly. "If you think you're right, I bet you can prove it by saying I'm wrong. Here, now!"


…


…


"Like I thought. You really think you can flaunt around that you know more about me, and not expect me to know more about you at the same time?" The murderous critter reminded me. "But I'm not here to shame you on your own issues. Think of it as a… kindness? No, it's more of a favor being returned."


She giggled, enjoying the last bits of my grimace as a confused frown replaced it.


"But now, I'm curious. I told you what you wanted to hear, so I don't think it's much of a demand if I ask you a couple of questions now… wouldn't it?"


It was rhetorical. And she continued despite my silence.


"Let's start with a name. Who was the reason for your blood-thirst?"


…


"Everly," I muttered tightly. "Her name was… Everly."

 

[JustBukharin]

- Crashing Down Memory Lane -
(or 'The past still hurts despite how long it has been...')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


It takes a madman to understand another.


Lucy's words stuck around my head for hours as I tried and failed to hold back the unpleasant flooding of memories. A mix of nice moments spent with that quiet girl… and then a full recounting of the only time I allowed revenge dictate my interests.


It was a mood dampener for the rest of the day despite the curious conversation it got out from Lucy.


As expected the Kivouachian was thrilled by the narration, demanding a full list of details to better 'envision the scene with her own eyes'. The request was partly followed as I could actually remember everything about that day.


Too important, I couldn't just forget even if I really wished I did.


Afternoon, the regular school day at my former Secondary School was over and most of the students were walking back to their homes. Only a handful remained until the school had to close, and among these there were four individuals I knew way too much about.


A small group of friends. They were known as troublemakers by many teachers, but their rich parents were quick to create a bubble around them that prevented any major punishment from being applied to them.


Pranksters, bullies.


They were smart enough to actually restrain themselves from acting in front of too many witnesses. Their targets were those that didn't have much popularity and credibility with the rest of the school.


It was simple at first. Nothing to worry about as I myself had my own parents covering for me if I ended up targeted and I wanted to retaliate on my own.


Nothing major, nothing too malicious. But that was until tragedy struck.


Everly had been my first friend. A childhood friend if I considered that up to ten years old everyone was still a child.


Fragile, quite pale. Her dark hair was mostly unruly, and combined with her sickly pale skin and haunting blue eyes, made her look like the victim of some disaster. An earthquake, or a Tsunami.


Both terrible occurrences fairly non-existing in the British Isles, but that didn't do much but heighten the interest born at first sight.


She was shy, reluctant. I was her only friend, and while I tried to bring others to that small circle, those would just end up pushed back by her ominous personality.


It wasn't her fault that she sounded creepy. Everly's parents died when she was two, leaving her to live in the local orphanage. The place was barely funded, with most of the past donors having taken back their pledges after a couple of scandals hit the place.


Girls in our classroom would shun and belittle her until she was brought to tears. Bullies weren't a novelty to Everly, but the frail girl never managed to build up a backbone against them.


She couldn't see a reason to do so. Instead she would rely on my presence as a ward against her tormentors.


While Everly didn't have anything to do to counter attacks against her, I certainly wasn't silent about it.


Teachers were informed, people were reprimanded and detentions were handled.


The school wasn't completely taken by the 'wealth' of every single student, thus it was easy to work around some loopholes and mess with the few stupid morons that would actually try anything in broad daylight.


It was a shared sentiment among the other classmates that bullying was just going a step too far regarding teasing people.


Some tried to come back at us, but I was always on the lookout to defuse any trouble on the horizon.


It was a stable situation. Turbulent, but I was still able to deter any efforts against us.


But that was until I failed to catch onto the 'games' of the renowned 'gang of four'.


It wasn't their true name as a group, but I found it good enough to just label them as such.


Scum that managed to dodge any repercussions for their devious actions. Pranking was just the icing of a cake of horrible deeds.


Sudden bruises appearing on students' necks and exposed arms, people falling down flights of stairs, and people missing their lunch bags while they were busy with P.E..


The principal was forced to offer various assurances to mobs of parents demanding investigations over these problems, but nothing worthwhile was actually done about it.


The bribes were too enticing, and it didn't help that one of the bastards was the son of a famous politician in the region.


And it was furiously ironic how said politician was also known for his staunch campaigns to solve the growing issues of bullying in schools.


But how did this small group of bullies manage to outsmart me and… create this tragedy?


I don't think they actually meant the final result to play out like it did, but the planning was already filled with chances of this ending up badly for someone.


It all started when one morning I found Everly standing at our usual rendezvous with the brightest of smiles she could muster.


I was surprised, but mostly confused to find her wearing a completely different dress than the one she was used to bringing out for school.


A dark-blue dress with a skirt that reached down to her knees. Adding more to this upgrade was the pair of comfortable looking shoes that she was also donning with the occasion.


She looked… better. I guess from her giggles back then I had been gawking in awe at that unexpected development. Still, I decided to inquire how that change actually happened.


Everly didn't have a stable income. With her frail body rendering her means to find manual jobs impossible, she was pretty much reliant on the allowance given by the orphanage, and it was hardly enough to cover anything other than the upkeep of her stay there.


I would buy her gifts from time to time, but I definitely couldn't afford that kind of dress and shoes.


"Oh? It was Jamie," She replied happily. "He said that he wanted to give me these for my birthday but he couldn't give me those until yesterday."


Jamie?


My brain had to wander off to anyone matching with that name. The entire group popped up, and having known of their reputation from afar, it was easy to see how this could've all been an elaborate prank.


Instead of jumping to conclusions, I allowed myself some more clues about the matter. "Didn't he tell you why he couldn't on the exact date?"


Kind of odd for him to be this kind and… skip her birthday by a full week.


Also, how did he learn about her birthday? These were questions that I never found an answer to.


It was mostly because Everly in the most uncharacteristic reaction, asked me to not 'ruin this for her'.


And it didn't take me much to realize that she was crushing really hard on Jamie for that sudden act of 'kindness'.


Despite years of being targeted, she never got over her natural naivety. Maybe it was partly my fault too for 'pampering' her too much away from real danger.


Still, I allowed her to have a good day away from suspicions while I worked on my own to understand what was cooking.


And boy, I would come to regret with a passion my initial hesitation.


At first I didn't think it would've escalated beyond that, but then stuff escalated way faster than I could act against it.


First it was a nice dress, then it was a nice spot by the cafeteria where she would be complimented by the rest of the group, and finally she was asked to break contacts with me.


She genuinely sounded apologetic and saddened by this, but I felt hurt by how easily she sold me about it.


Or at least I was until she actually reneged on these words later than day. I wasn't exactly sure if that was also part of a play or not, but that very action started to set up a couple of annoying accidents against me.


The first issue was when my chair in the classroom went missing during the first hour of a school day. The teacher was confused, and a janitor was dispatched to find a replacement for it.


Then I found the lock of my locker slightly cracked, as if someone had tried and failed to get inside of it.


And finally, as I made my way back home, I found out from the puddle I was leaving behind with each step that someone had left an open water bottle inside my backpack.


Some of the books were ruined, but my notes were saved by the onslaught.


With each 'prank' I would grow more cautious and protective over Everly. The girl noticed my change of attitude, but instead of complaining she actually complied to my requests of not going to the group led by Jamie.


And the reason why she was prone to agree with my offers was correlated to a sudden switch of mood with the boy himself.


He was losing his patience over my lack of cowing before their attacks, and that was intensifying the times where he would lash out to the others and Everly herself.


She needed to be insulted loudly just once to understand how fake their efforts were.


Soon their attempt to break our bond was voided by this impatience of theirs, and their attacks intensified.


Sadly enough for them, with each prank I would grow more paranoid but also creative with possible counters.


My dried bag would never leave my sight, I asked the janitor to get a couple of extra chairs in the classroom to avoid any continuation with my 'disappearing chair', and I kept an eye over my surroundings whenever I walked down some staircase.


I wasn't going to allow this to continue any longer, and they realized it sooner than I really wanted.


I had planned to make a compelling case against them in front of the principal and the teachers. An investigation so big and so convoluted with the tales offered by other victims of the group that no amount of money could get them to silence this wave of accusations.


But just as I was a few days from completing this task, the tragedy struck suddenly and unexpectedly.


It was during lunchtime and the first clue that something was off was that both Everly and the 'Gang of Four' weren't there.


I didn't think much of this at first… but then teachers started to flock at the cafeteria.


The school day was cut short, and everyone was ordered to make their way back home at once.


Confusion, worry, and… a sense of dread grasped at my heart when the news struck. I still proceeded to leave, feeling like something was indeed wrong.


Maybe Everly was back at the orphanage already, I thought logically, or maybe she left earlier because she was sick.


It wasn't uncommon for the girl to feel the need to leave out of some temporary sickness she got at school, but it was odd that I hadn't seen anything telling coming from her earlier that morning.


Evening. The news channel brought up a development that left me dead inside.


'Young Suicide Victim: Everly Byrne, 15, found dead after fall off the school's roof'


Mom gasped when she noticed the headline, while dad's complex went pale at the dreadful development.


The former tried to ask if I was alright, but my ears were numbed. My entire world was.


My eyes couldn't be peeled off the shocking sentence, my mind was burning in a fit of nervousness and shock. My breathing was still calm, but I felt oddly breathless as I tried to make sense of what just happened.


Suicide? How?


She didn't have a reason to be suicidal. Sure, she was insulted from time to time, but nothing ever came close to get this kind of possibility. I would've noticed.


Or would I?


Was I in the wrong to be doubtful of this? Maybe my emotions were clouding my logical thought as there was no way that this the result of a failed prank.


They wouldn't have dared to do this.


Dad was a police officer. Someone that was of course called on the case to help with the study of the situation and confirm that it was a suicide.


It was the truth… and I couldn't just accept it.


Denial? Was I grieving already?


No. I knew that I was feeling the worst, but my suspicions couldn't have been that wrong.


Too many coincidences for it to be a flimsy conspiracy theory.


I needed to check on my own.


Confirmation arrived the next day at the cafeteria.


The three goons in the 'Gang of Four' looked incredibly nervous, and incredibly restrained with their usual troublemaking.


The same wasn't for Jamie. He looked positively happy.


I was confused, but it dawned on me that they were indeed connected to this when the bastard walked near to where I was sitting.


A smile, his stare was on me as I was sitting and he was standing. A display of… smug?


Blinking, I tried to understand if the gloating was coming from something else.


Maybe he wasn't actually implied to the case.


Maybe-


"This was hers," Jamie mused happily, handing out a handkerchief. I blinked at it, my eyes widening at the realization that it was Everly's.


B-But how-


He continued to smile.


The rest of the group seemed even more uncomfortable at this interaction.


…


When the truth struck me in full, I felt the need to jump on the bastard and strangle him with that infuriating smile.


So malicious, so devious. So wrong, it was so wrong.


Whywhywhywhywhywhy?


They got away with it. Again.


They got away with murder.


My brain was burning so much, and my patience snapped so easily at this development.


They- they couldn't be allowed to pass this over so easily.


And if it wasn't the police…


Then I shall take that burden upon myself.


The plan was easy to form out. Far easier than I had expected it to be.


Finding an old crowbar in the old tool shed by the garden, I managed to buy a pair of dark gloves and… steal a Ghostface mask from a store in town.


The heinous deed was meant to cover my tracks over anyone asking for those that had brought a mask of this kind when the police were going to investigate the matter.


While Everly didn't get that courtesy, I sure knew that the bastards were going to get the greatest investigation ever made in this city.


I was going to warrant it, and I was sure of it.


Afternoon, the regular school day at my former Secondary School was over and most of the students were walking back to their homes. Only a handful remained until the school had to close, and among these there were four individuals I knew way too much about.


They were hanging by the roof, none the wiser enough to check for anyone wandering the school in a suspicious manner.


I remember telling my parents that I was going to spend the afternoon by the library. The place didn't have cameras, and the old lady owning the place was way too forgetful to confirm if I was there or not.


I brought two backpacks at school, one for school and one filled with 'gym clothes'.


In reality I had decided against committing the deed in my everyday clothes.


No reason to stain my good clothes in pigs' blood.


Picking some old clothes I had in my wardrobe, most of which my mother couldn't remember about, I suited up with those while also donning the mask and gloves.


The crowbar was a little bit rusty, showing how old it really was.


Nobody was on my path to the roof, and I closed the door behind me once I was there.


Jamie was the closest, and he turned towards me as the noise of the door being shut closed drew his stare at me.


He looked surprised, but mostly awed. No hint of fear at first as he started to approach me.


"Blimey, that's one of the funniest shit I've ever seen," He muttered mirthfully. "What are you supposed to be, a scary monster to frighten us? I bet I know who you are-"


I didn't linger with that conversation. I was too furious to give him that right.


Swinging my crowbar, the sharp end slammed into his cheek.


Surprise dawned on Jamie as he felt the pain and saw the copious amount of blood spurting out of this new wound.


"Bloody hell, he's serious," One of the morons exclaimed and I couldn't help but allow a smile on my hidden face as I forced the crowbar out of Jamie's face.


He quickly reached for his cheek, his palms pressing on it to stop the bleeding. Yet he was forced to deal with new pain as I started to beat the ever living out of him.


The more I struck, the more my lips twitched.


At the end of it, I stopped the moment I heard the moans of pain coming from the battered bastard, I felt my breath incredibly rough and dreadfully loud.


I chuckled. "Welp, there goes the first one," I said with a giddy tone.


I turned to the others. They were shivering, all close to each other by one of the edges of the roof.


I spread my arms open, my smile hidden but my malicious intentions now clear to them.


"Who's next!?"


The next hour was a blur. I don't remember all the details as I was drowning in my own laughter.


My head was light, but I knew what I was going to do. All the violence, all the pain I was causing-


It all stuck to me even as I concluded my resolution.


I took Jamie's cell phone from his pants' pocket, leaving their sight as I walked downstairs and back to the bathroom where I had left my backpacks.


I quickly changed to my good clothes, putting everything else but the gloves back on the empty bag.


The gloves were needed for this little bit as I hadn't planned to genuinely kill them. If I left them in that state without anyone to help them stabilize the wounds, it would've been like killing them outright.


I send a curt distress message to Jamie's father, the politician, before dunking the device down one of the toilets.


I left for home, the final step being the dumpsters near to it.


There… I burned any proof that would imply me to the case.


The entire backpack with the clothes, mask, crowbar and gloves was set on fire the furthest possible from the entrance of the place.


Ashes and dust would remain of my crime, and then… the world seemed to take pity on me for once.


Outrage ensued as the four were sent to ICU because of the extent of the damage. The best doctors and nurses were dispatched to save them while their parents screeched bloody murder at the principal.


Finally, an investigation to find out the identity of the aggressor began and… the police started to interrogate students.


And the case exploded beyond what anyone would've expected.


People talked, but not about possible suspects. Numerous tales of bullying, of attacks, and malicious harassment started to pop out of that assignment and many agents found it shocking how many teens were actually supporting the deed.


Not wholeheartedly. The extent was far too brutal in their eyes, but it was also true that the deed was more of a reaction than a proper assault.


The media caught notice of this and the scandal that followed created an absurd amount of backlash.


Enough to force the principal's resignation, and enough to get Jamie's father in trouble with his own party and candidacy as MP.


Their sins became my shield. Their pain became their own undoing.


It was meant to be a victory. I avenged Everly.


…


Or did I?


If that was the case, then I was unable to answer why my hands wouldn't stop shivering whenever I looked at them.


The haunting smile and chuckled, not so far from Lucy's own malicious greeting, would keep me awake for various nights of the next few years.


Pain could fade, but it never truly goes away.


And now I'm here, among those I can't help but feel kinship to considering the circumstances.

 

[JustBukharin]

- To Make an Omelet...-
(or 'How I returned back home and shared breakfast with Luna and Hyzenthlay')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


"It looks… nice."


Luna's comment got a glance from me. Hyzenthlay merely hummed, her attention still latching onto the little task I've given to her.


While Shuck did a good job in confirming that my flat was now safe and devoid of any unpleasant visitors before 'permanently removing' the little issue that was the camera staring right at the flat's inside, I decided to make a thorough look of the home.


Considering how one of the kivs supporting Locket had an old-fashioned camera on himself, it was just legitimate to be worried that the place was bugged quite meticulously and in a way so that nobody with a good understanding of technology could spot on a quick inspection.


Shuck had a basic understanding, and the only one I knew that could actually get through with this kind of task without breaking a sweat was Titania.


The water-based being was a zealot over technology, especially if this technology was something born from a Kivouachian's hands.


Humanity was something the neutral kiv found to be a double-edged blade. We worked well with our capacity to develop new technologies as she could then study and improve on them with her own ideas, but she absolutely despised the curiosity we were known for.


Humans were curious people, and curiosity was a good way for kivs to get their cover blown because of some nosy moron.


She mentioned visiting to check for any 'pattern' left behind by Locket, but that invitation was quickly postponed by Ludwig's own orders of establishing a working 'detection system' to monitor any activity from the former Grand Voice.


As of now, neither the squirrel Kivouachian nor I could find anything that cemented this concern.


Stopping for a moment to address my bodyguard's comment, I granted a brief but polite smile.


"Thank you."


A nod from the blue-haired kiv put the interaction to a subtle conclusion.


Eventually I decided to stop checking around as I was fairly sure the flat was 100% clear and ready to be used as a safe zone for anyone passing by.


The next step for me was to reach the kitchen and grab something to eat from the fridge. As Ludwig had requested the day before, I left the Croft Estate without getting any breakfast.


Hyzenthlay decided to tag along out of personal interest, and to not get caught tired with Lucy nearby. While the murderous critter had 'for some reason' lessened her unique brand of teasing, she was still prone to mood swings that easily put the small kiv in a tight spot.


I wasn't unsure about Luna's need for breakfast, but I still decided to ask her if she wanted something to eat.


At first she refused, mentioning that she was alright as she was right now. But then, as I started to cook some eggs, I noticed her stare fixing upon the frying pan over the stove.


"Are you sure that you're not hungry?"


Her stare trailed for a moment up to me, with her lips twitching in what looked to be a tough decision.


"I don't wish to impose?"


The question-like response got a sigh out of me as I added a couple more eggs on the pan.


About twenty minutes passed in relative quiet and peace, long enough for the eggs to be cooked properly and for me to put them in three different plates.


I also gave Hyzenthlay some bread that she could use to dip in the yolk of the egg. While the squirrel-like Kivouachian now had a degree of appreciation for this kind of breakfast based from an earlier occurrence, I quickly noticed that she was unable to precisely manipulate her body to properly grasp the cutlery and eat the rest of the meal.


Until she got a better grasp of that part of her biology, I would need to help her with the fork-work.


As she finished eating the yolk, I started to help her with the remaining bits of the egg.


At first there wasn't much difference from the usual. Hyzenthlay looked a little bit embarrassed, but she was perfectly aware that this wasn't a situation born from teasing, but from actually assistance.


And while that was easy for her mind to grasp, for Luna it looked quite… odd.


She paused mid-bite, with her fork still in her mouth as she narrowed her eyes at the scene.


I noticed that stare, filled by curiosity and perplexity as I retracted the utensil from the squirrel's lower face and back to her place. I didn't say anything, and merely studied what kind of thoughts could've kept the Kivouachian this… silent.


She was thinking quickly and much, with her eyes flaring with interest as she seemed to realize on her own what was going on.


Instead of giving a direct question to confirm this idea, she merely went for a 'careful' query.


"How good is Hyzenthlay's control?"


Blinking, I paused for a moment as we both stared at Luna.


"I-I'm not that good," Hyzenthlay replied. "I didn't have the chance to train or… or to develop on my own."


To be fair, the small creature had been in plenty of situations that already started the small process of gaining full control of her body.


Claws were now easy for her to form from her pawns, but she was having trouble going beyond that degree of manipulation.


From what Ludwig had mentioned with his own analysis of her situation, the squirrel was either having trouble to adapt because of her 'Squirrel DNA' or was genuinely falling back compared to the normal kivouachian's growth because she was living in a 'kind environment'.


While the Kivoack wasn't outright hostile in terms of natural existence, the climate created by their species in the densest sections of their society was quick to force only a handful to exist.


And those were the ones that managed to adapt as quickly as possible and attain their full strength at an early age.


Hyzenthlay didn't have that kind of 'childhood', nor did the training provided by Fleischer (and Lucy in minor part) managed to fully help her with this kind of problem.


I had mentioned this already to the wyvern, and the kiv seemed to take the news with an intrigued but understanding attitude.


"Considering the circumstances, you're improving at a modest pace," I rebuked with a sigh. "You shouldn't kick yourself like that."


"But- But I've to rely on you to avoid getting hurt by Lucy!"


Her case was as silly as it sounded, which is why Luna snorted.


"Many Kivs, even those that once worked in the Yolsh, are afraid of Lucy. Rightfully so. She was one of the most vicious judges when the Kivouack still existed," The blue-haired Kivouachian pointed out. "You're right to assume that your control is much weaker compared to many's, but it's wrong of you to be ashamed of relying on someone else to survive. It's common for this situation to happen even now that the Kivouack doesn't exist anymore."


"Plus, I'm fine with this," I added with a hum. "I think we've already established that."


"If Lucy wants to hurt me, she would go through you first," The squirrel rebuked with some insistence. "That would be my fault-"


"Nah, Lucy would first find a reason to be angry at me, and then use it to then hurt you," I corrected with a sigh. "It wouldn't be your fault. At least, it wouldn't be the driving factor for her to strike at me."


"I thought you two were close," Luna commented with a hint of confusion.


"It's difficult to explain. I would say that we both agree on some topics, but we also agree to disagree on other matters," I explained… in the best way I could. At this point, with how things were changing around it was difficult to keep track of everything. Especially with the kind of relationship I had with Lucy Lacemaker.


"Friends but… not?"


"As I just said, it's complicated."


Luna merely nodded, the look on her face suggesting that she had accepted the implicit request of not keeping up with that madness.


But just as I turned to look back at Hyzenthlay, I noticed the squirrel giving me an odd look.


"What about me?"


I blinked, a confused look quickly replaced the relieved one that previously occupied my face.


"Hmm?"


"I mean, I understand that Lucy's complicated- you are fine with Fleischer and Shuck… but what about me?" She elaborated some more. "What do you think of me?"


"You're a good friend," I replied calmly. "And someone I enjoy to talk to about many things. I trust you."


Each addition seemed to draw a wider smile out of the squirrel kiv. In the end she nodded and seemed… happier.


"That's good to hear."


"And what do you think of me?"


She tensed up a little bit, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and… nervousness."


"You're… You're a good friend too!"


The outburst made me snort, her tiny paws reaching to cover lips and eyes as she realized how loud that was.


"I'm sorry..." She apologized shortly after, making me sigh before reaching to pick her up.


Tensing up a little bit, she still allowed me to pull her by my shoulder as I calmly gave her a hug.


"There's nothing wrong with saying something like that," I muttered quietly. "So don't apologize for meaning this."


Humming, she snuggled her cheek on my neck. Saying nothing else, I turned to look at Luna and… she was failing miserably in hiding a grin over the sight in front of her.


I blinked, merely smiling in return as I waited a little more before letting Hyzenthlay out of that embrace. She looked slightly saddened by how 'short' that was, but soon I gave her something else to think about.


"By the way, Luna," I started with a fascinated look. "I know this could be a private topic for you but… what is your relationship with Ludwig?"


…


"What?" She muttered calmly, trying to play off the surprised silence that ensued just as I questioned her about that.


I had noticed that something was off when the two were around, with the Grand Voice appearing 'tamer' and the female kiv looking terribly flustered and submitting to him.


At first I merely ruled it out as something akin to close friendship that just grew awkward with Ludwig's promotion to leader of the Kivouachians, but…


Lucy told me a little more about these two.


Both were close, but it was debatable if this was just friendship or something more.


The only detail the murderous critter worth of some serious thinking was about a specific situation when she caught them both sneaking out of some forbidden library.


They were doing something 'illegal' together, and that they were caught 'laughing at each other like a bunch of idiots'.


It was just too 'easy' for them both to be having that 'tight' relationship, but then again both were usually pretty far from each other.


With Luna at Las Vegas and Ludwig ruling from the Croft Estate, it was difficult to say for sure if they were still close or not.


"H-He's the Grand Voice?" The blue-haired Kiv replied with some uncertainty. "Is- Is there something else you were thinking?"


"Not much thinking… just pondering over some stuff Lucy told me yesterday," I answered with a shrug. "Still, I hope you understand I'm not trying to tease or threaten you-"


"Then why are you asking?" She retorted with some irritation. "Why?"


"Curiosity?" I rebuked calmly. "But I'm sorry to be rude and-"


"No," Luna interrupted, her harsh tone being enough to draw me to silence.


"..."


Then she sighed, shaking her head. "I rather not talk about it."


Nodding, I decided against keeping up any other conversation at the table.


Once we were all done with the breakfast, I took the plates and left them by the sink. I would work on those once I was done cleaning around.


I was back at home, but despite Luna's presence and Shuck saying that nothing was touched there… I couldn't help but think something odd.


This was my flat, but for some reason I didn't feel safe as I was before…

 

[JustBukharin]

- The Lines and the Forms -
(or 'How I learned that Luna is good at drawing')
​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

I sighed in frustration as I balled another piece of paper ruined by the umpteenth stupid doodle, throwing it to the trash bin nearby before I attempted to draw another one.

Hyzenthlay had left once lunch was over, and I was left alone at the flat… with Luna.

After what ensued from the conversations earlier that morning, we both silently agreed to ignore each other unless something important happened.

Simple interactions like asking if she wanted something to drink or to eat were deemed acceptable, and thus I was happily left to indulge in some of the paperwork left over from recently.

I managed to get hold of the landlord by phone, faking surprise at the accident that happened the day before and mentioning that I had been out for family-related affairs when that happened.

He sounded relieved, but also quite unsure about the odd event.

The police officers that came to check on the situation were dumbfounded when they studied the damage by the door, and I assured the man that I was going to get a specialist to reinforce the entrance to avoid any similar instances.

With that problem solved, I decided to spend some time in my room and… read.

The very chance of finding something good to waste hours in silence proved to be less than expected, and my expectations about that were already terribly low.

Huffing and groaning on a pillow I've taken from my own bed, I stared blankly at the dark texture of my desk.

Surely there is something that I can do…

Luna had taken a seat by the bed, reading the one of the books I had ditched in my previous endeavor.

Distracted and mostly quiet, I was reminded of her presence only when she started to calmly hum.

I glanced back, only now noticing that the Kivouachian was completely engrossed by the content of the pages from the way she looked so… focused.

At least one of us is getting through the boredom.

Turning once more to the desk, I picked some paper and started to doodle around. And it was there that I found something to do.

It would be a lie to say that I liked drawing during my free time, but there were occasions when I still managed to find myself embroiled in some unique sketch.

Blinking and channeling my inner 'failed' artist, I tried my best in drawing some of the strange beings I've learned about in the last few months.

I decided to start from the 'simplest design' I knew about, and I prepared some helping lines to create Fleischer's form in that paper.

The wyvern was one of the 'easiest' to draw considering his lack of clothes and his draconic features.

Half an hour was burned in several efforts to get the proportions for wings and head right, and the final result was nothing to scoff at. Eventually I started to add some details, carefully using the eraser in tiny spots that needed slight adjustments.

After a full hour spent in that endeavor, I cracked a smirk at the completed work.

While I could've added colors to the drawing, I decided against turning the entire flat upside down to find where I had left those. It's been a long time since I needed to use colors, and I really wasn't in the mood for a treasure hunt.

Just as I took a pause to study the result of my hard work, I felt something soft land on my shoulder.

Too light to be Lucy, my eyes turned to face the little intrusion.

She blinked, her stare glinting interest directed at the paper I finished working on.

"That's a good drawing."

I frowned in surprise at that. "Thank you?"

Sighing, the Kivouachian had her stare trail up to me. I braced for the worst considering how close she was.

"Do you feel crept out with me doing this?" Luna asked quietly, almost adding a degree of amusement to that comment.

"A tiny bit," I admitted. "But I guess it's just because… it's strange."

A frown adorned her face. "Strange?"

"Up until now you've been quite reserved to yourself. Unwilling to spare much of an interaction, so 'this' is pretty much… odd."

A hum, then a nod. "I suppose it can be quite weird. But… I'm just bored."

…

"And?"

She sighed. "Can I have some paper to draw with?"

I gave her a nod, offering a small stack of empty papers, a pencil, and an eraser.

She took those slowly, still pressing her chin on my shoulder.

There was silence for a couple of seconds… and then I decided to press her on that.

"Why are you-"

"You smell good. Your shampoo is… mesmerizing."

Her eyes fluttered and she winked, but I spared her a skeptical tone and an unflinching glance.

"I hope you're better at drawing than acting," I rebuked flatly, getting a glare out of her. "But seriously, what was that?"

…

Luna sighed after a moment of staring at me with utmost irritation. "I saw Mystique do something like this with a couple of Kivs, I decided to test how worthwhile it was."

My curiosity peaked at the mention of the humanoid kivouachian with long and curly red hair and three eyes.

"Isn't that like… her thing? So it's kind of odd for you to try her thing when you're not exactly-"

"What? What I am not?" The interception made me frown as I saw her nostrils flare in clear frustration.

For a brief moment, I was reminded of those interactions girls would impose on guys when they want to trap them in some lose-lose situation.

But as I was aware now, I knew the proper answer to get out of this little pickle.

"You're... not overly girly," I replied calmly. "And by that I mean that you're not extremely sweet, you don't shy away from stuff guys generally like and… you also give the vibe of someone that likes to kill for fun."

Her lips twitched at that final detail, but still kept on sitting her chin on my shoulder.

"I swear, I will hug you if you keep this going."

At this point, I would've expected her to back away at the 'threat'. Kind of imagining the standard Kivouachian finding this possibility as disgusting as repugnant.

Yet Luna cracked a smug smile. "As if that counts as a real punishment."

Thus I carefully turned around and took her for an embrace. She tensed up, possibly not expecting for me to go ahead with that threat, but after that the female kivouachian didn't do much else but… hug back.

And while that escalation should've been fine by humans' standards, the way she went through with this wasn't anything 'surprising'. In fact, the first thing that jumped to my mind was how painfully tight her hold was over my waist.

I pushed her back, staring in shock as she exploded in a booming and fat laugh.

"Prick!" I exclaimed fiercely, renewing her giggling for another round.

I tried to glare at her, but then I realized that she played with my own threat and turned it in my own punishment. My surprise and awe was dampened by grimace over the matter, but I still tried my best to appear irked by her counter.

"Y-ou – hehe – got what you deserved," She rebuked, still lost in her own amusement. "D-Did you really expect for a Kivouachian to just back away from a challenge about strength?"

Fair enough, I should've seen through that thin camouflage wall she had over her true intentions.

I kept quiet until she got her laughing under control, which happened about a minute or two after the 'entertaining event'. The reason why it kept going for so long was mostly the renewed amusement she would get at staring at my annoyed looks.

Really aggravating, but I didn't have much to say or do about it, except wait and drown in that 'humiliation'.

"If you're done with the gloating, how about we shift back to drawing?"

"I think that was a lost-"

"You know what I mean," I rebuked dryly. "Plus, I bet I'll take a win out of a drawing challenge against you."

I don't know if it was irritation or just tiredness speaking at this point, but I would've offered myself for defeat in such a manner. Sure, I knew how to draw decently, but I should've expected for Luna to be a greater artist than I was considering how old Kivouachians were.

She grinned, offering a helping hand as I was still lying on the floor after that 'mirthful stunt', and she offered… a bet.

"I win, I get the bed for tonight."

I frowned. "Why would you- Kivouachians don't need sleep."

"But I'm not going to miss the chance of having you sleep on the cold floor," The blue-haired Kiv pointed out. "And I should 'retaliate' for that sneaky hug."

I wanted to question her over the 'sneakiness' and the 'punishment' behind the hug itself, but I merely accepted her bet.

What followed was… a situation I started regretting the moment I ditched my first effort due to screwing up in an attempt to draw Shuck. I thought he would've been as easy as Fleischer, but then I realized that I forgot how long his tail was, and then I got his horns curled in the wrong direction.

Huffing, I tried to switch up with Hyzenthlay and… once again I messed up a single important detail. In this case, I ended up drawing normal 'squirrel' eyes instead of her unique ones.

I tried Lucy, and then Hyzenthlay. Heck, I even went as far as to try remembering what Yeshua looked like and… my annoyance grew by the second.

Maybe it was the smug Luna exuded as she scribbled left and right with determination and clear understanding of what she was aiming for.

I sighed in frustration as I balled another piece of paper ruined by the umpteenth stupid doodle, throwing it to the trash bin nearby before drawing on another one.

What subject could I take for my next endeavor? Or… was I losing this 'fight' because of my own nervousness?

Ultimately, I found myself drawing on my last paper and… I decided to defy my silly rule of keeping on distant subjects and shift my attention to someone I was very familiar with and I had the chance of checking on to keep tracks of all details.

Luna was happily going to try and win this 'easy match', but I wasn't going down now that my hopes were renewed by this little attempt of mine.

I continued to draw, silently but now smiling as I managed to get all the basic details down. Next was the hair details, her face, some additions to the fur and the clothes… and finally the unique feet and tail.

"I'm done," The Kivouachian proclaimed with a nod, her eyes finally taking notice of my own determination. "Do you want more time to finish?"

I knew she was trying to tease and mock, but I just nodded. "If possible, yes. I'm quite close to completion."

My reply granted me a curious look from Luna, but she still waited for me to be done before exposing to her the final results.

Much to my inner fascination and personal amusement, she ended up with a cool and highly detailed closeup about Ludwig. He looked serious, important, and incredibly mighty in that display born from just a simple pencil.

"Not gonna lie, you're the most talented artist I've ever met," I commented with a truthful tone.

She nodded, her grin showing appreciation for the compliment, but now it was my turn to show what I got after that long time.

Turning around the paper for Luna to see, her eyes widened and her jaws fell low as she quickly recognized who was the subject for my drawing.

I decided to draw Luna in the middle of a fight. Sharp blades replacing her arms, and her tail now morphed into a deadly iron-tipped whip, a giddy smile was on her face as she was successfully tearing apart her enemy without much of an issue.

"You-"

I merely blinked, my smile widening at her shocked look.

"Yes?"

…

"You're good. But that's… that's plain stupid flattery," The kivouachian replied dryly. "I'm still getting the bed."

I sighed. "At least I got to see your flustered lo-"

"And I think you'll have to do without any pillows and sheets too," She added before I had the chance to end that sentence.

Yep, this was going to be an odd cohabitation for sure…

 

[JustBukharin]

- Sudden Interest -
(or 'How I ended up chit-chatting with my supposed enemy')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


Days have gone by uneventfully ever since my safe return to home.


While some worry of being ambushed during my trips to get groceries still lingered from time to time, I was mostly calm with the idea that Luna would always keep watch over my path.


Stalking from roofs and openings in the various buildings without being caught by the people around, the female Kivouachian did a brilliant job in making sure that nothing wrong happened to me.


I was glad that we both accepted that the case wasn't one that was caused by each other, but more the result of multiple issues that pushed us together in the flat.


She grew accustomed with the layout of her temporary home, even going as far as to establish some patterns whenever we were indoors.


Breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be spent by the kitchen together. Luna lost any restraint over inquiring about the food and making her preferences very clear much to my intrigue.


She wasn't high-maintenance, but it was a surprise that this situation took this curious turn.


If I was working by my room, she would be lying on the bed and reading some books. The kivouachian would quip in with some questions or affirmations from time to time, most of the queries coming from the literature she was reading.


While books were nice, she soon discovered that I had kept some old comics from a few years ago, when I still lived with my parents.


It was an interesting scene that saw Luna giving utmost devotion to this different kind of entertainment, and soon I discovered that she liked this kind of stuff.


Which is why, whenever I was shopping at a general store, I would check on the comics section to see if there was any new issue of a series the Kiv might like and buy it for her.


At first Luna was confused by this kind of gift, and some questions ensued towards my motivation.


"I don't want to leave you bored," I replied calmly. "I got work to do most of the time, and I know I can't offer much of an active conversation."


"So you are bringing me stuff to keep myself distracted with?" She rebuked with a confused tone. "I thought… why are you so nice?"


"What?"


"You're friends with Lucy. I expected you to be… less than this."


"I aim to surprise," I rebuked and she snorted.


"And to spend your salary on this stupid stuff," The kiv reminded dryly… before allowing a simple sigh. "But still, thank you for this."


"You're welcome."


After that things grew a little easier at home considering the few limitations I still had to go through.


I wasn't allowed to visit the Croft Estate anytime soon, considering the chances that Locket might still be keeping track of my moves. The fact that I could've become a damning piece in that crazy chessboard between the former Grand Voice and Ludwig was quite unnerving.


Lucy managed to ease the annoying aspect of this situation by offering some news whenever she visited. It wasn't anything incredibly important, but I knew that the operations to find out where Locket and her clique was were going pretty well for both Titania and Mystique.


Fontaine and Wexle were the ones that were heading the operations, with the latter being employed mostly as the interrogator for their only prisoner.


The rogue kiv known as 'Dorothy' was being grilled left and right by the unpleasant combination created by Wexle's and Lucy's different brands of torture.


She was 'talking', but much of the stuff she knew about proved to be outdated by the time some of their former headquarters were found emptied and devoid of any living being. But there were a couple of human corpses found in the deepest corners of these buildings to prove that Locket had been there.


Despite how elusive the rogue group was being, they hadn't managed to get the support of anyone out of the British Isles.


Titania was mostly to thank for this as she made sure to create devices meant to detect any attempt from Locket to try and make any appeal to rebellious elements under Ludwig's rule.


As it was now, their days of freedom were numbered. It was only a matter of time for them to be defeated and for Locket to be sealed away once more.


And when I decided to inquire to Lucy why would Ludwig keep Locket sealed and not kill her, the answer I was given left me particularly perplexed.


"He can't kill her. No Kivouachian can," The critter mentioned with an irked tone, the cause of the irritation of the topic itself. "Mandus was the only one that managed to damage her to that degree and… nobody else can do much about it."


Nobody can kill Locket. There is a reason why Ludwig wanted to capture her before she had the chance of restoring herself to her prime. The moment she did, then nobody was going to be able to stop her from reasserting her dominance… and try to impose the old rule on what remained of the Kivouack.


It would be disastrous, and it could easily lead to their species to be discovered by too many humans.


And when, not if, that happened… War was going to be the only course of action for both sides.


With that thought in mind to keep myself attentive for anyone trying to capture me and get the upper hand over Ludwig's group, I accepted Luna's offer to have her follow me at work when the time for me to return to the workplace came.


It was a little bit more complicated compared to the previous situations of me entering a shop with an invisible Luna in tow, especially with how crowded the place was.


The kivouachian was incredibly unimpressed when I decided to lift her off the ground while she was still invisible and then started to personally drag her around until I arrived at my office.


She displayed her annoyance by pushing herself off from me and on the single table in the small room, staring down at me with an angry look.


"What?"


A huff left her lips as she settled down to sit next to the large screen of my PC. "Next time you could've… brought this up instead of manhandling me."


"I think talking to 'nobody' would've blown our cover," I rebuked politely. "But I'm genuinely sorry for putting you through that."


Luna sighed and gave a silent shrug before pulling out a rolled up comic she had brought with her off from her jacket.


I was the only one assigned to this office, and the boss would usually knock before entering inside, so she didn't have a proper reason to keep invisible for the time being.


Wasting little time chatting, I started with my current job for today without further delays.


My current task was to check on some issues with the last week's accounting processes. The one that has been called to replace me while I was recovering from my wound did a pathetic job in fixing the assignments given to them, and now I was forced to clean after their mistakes.


And much to my growing annoyance, the issues were far more severe than I was able to solve by my post. Some of the newly-printed documents that were currently stored in the archives to legitimize the accounting process were to be recovered and reprinted with the corrections applied.


"I need to check on the archive room," I mused, glancing at Luna as she gave me a distracted look in return. "I will be back soon."


She seemed tempted to offer to follow me, but considering how crowded the place was, I could see some reluctance to join up for the endeavor with the fact that Locket wouldn't act in a place with so many people.


Standing up from my chair, I proceeded to make my way down the two hallways that connected my office to where my destination was.


Compared to other rooms in the building, the archive room was one of the biggest, and for good reasons.


Fifteen years worth of documentation was stored in the various boxes and sections available in that room.


I sighed as I entered inside, bracing for the overly joyous greeting of the old man that was stationed there. Mr. Todd was perhaps one of the few people in this workplace that managed to keep such a jovial outlook over his daily life.


He was old, his wife had passed away two years ago, and his children already gave him plenty of grandchildren that tended to frequently visit his lonely home.


I really didn't mind his attitude, as I knew that it was the one any content men would be after reaching all achievements they have set in their lives.


Yet I was greeted by silence as I stepped inside. I turned to look at the counter and I saw a limb arching over it.


I took an unconscious step to check on the familiar elder, my mind filling with frightening sights before I had a clear one over Mr. Todd's condition.


Eyes closed and dangling in that uncomfortable position with him still sitting by his wooden chair, I checked his pulse and felt relief as I noticed his heart was still beating.


A heart attack? The man lived a healthy life devoid of any problems that could cause this.


But what if the problem wasn't from within… but it was external. What if it was a fight-induced situation?


An answer to my dreadful query came in the form of the door behind me suddenly closing. Glancing back, I found the smiling form of the Kivouachian keeping close to his old camera that I first saw with Locket.


"The Grand Voice wants to speak with you," The being spoke, and I frowned.


Half of me wanted to rebuke that Ludwig wasn't here, but the more sensible bit of my mind brought up a chilling issue.


Was Locket here? How didn't Luna notice her?


Instead of losing myself to the musing, I decided to slightly comply and delve deeper in the room. I was soon regaled with an odd scene as I saw the doll-like Kivouachian that was Locket… reading some papers from the dossiers within one of the many boxes she had recovered from the nearby sections.


The quadruped Kiv by her side, the one missing one of its limbs, hissed at me and alerted the former leader of the Kivouack of my presence.


"Good morning," She greeted in a mostly calm and distorted voice.


I blinked with a hint of perplexity over the simple greeting, but I offered a nod and returned her words with mine.


"Good morning."


She gestured to me to take a seat in the chair on the other side of the table and, considering the odds I was subjected to, I decided to accept her 'kindness'.


"Your name is Mason Byrne. You're one of the recent acquisitions of this company to try and solve the disappointing predecessors in your area of competence," The red-haired Kivouachian started to describe. "You were unfortunate enough to be noticed by Ludwig and… Lacemaker."


"That I can kind of agree with," I remarked, getting an amused snort from the leader of this small group of monsters.


"I'm glad that we can start this fruitful conversation so… amiably," She commented with a pleased tone. "But I understand that you have some questions regarding your… current predicament."


I blinked at that, surprised that this was being… far more civil than I expected it to go as.


"Aren't you going to ask-"


"The Croft Estate. I know where Ludwig and his group is hiding," Locket confessed without hesitation, ignoring the surprised look replacing my perplexed one. "Hayden brought this up when he first freed me and… I'm mostly curious to learn how he ended up getting a good headquarters as that one."


"That, I don't know."


"I suppose you wouldn't. Ludwig was always the secretive individual even with those loyal to him," The former Grand Voice mused tiredly. "But right now, I'm more interested in… you, Mr. Byrne."


"Me?"


"While you might consider yourself a lesser being, someone unimportant compared to other Kivouachians, I still believe you hold an opportunity within yourself for me to exploit," She explained calmly. "One about knowledge and… understanding more about humanity."


…


"What?"


Her lips twitched, her smile sounding as friendly as slightly creepy. "Think of this more as a… cultural exchange. But I'm the one asking and… you're just answering."


Sounds fair. Either that or death. What a kind lady for sure…


I gave a nod and she sighed.


"The first thing I wish to understand is… why throughout the history of this planet, humans have fought each other without ending up creating a lasting society," Locket began with some fascination. "I would've expected for you to find common ground and build a greater civilization."


She didn't give a question, but her affirmations gave me an idea of what she was alluding. What she was really interested about.


"Different languages, distrust, and greed for more power among humans," I listed up dryly. "While we might not seem similar to each other at first, and while Kivs are definitely superior compared to humans, it would be mistaken to believe that attitudes are that much different."


"Your kind keeps away from violence in normal cases," She pointed out. "And it's rare to find hints of cruelty within your rulers."


"Only because there is a sense of co-dependence between rulers and subjects," I muttered in return. "Everyone is pretty much at the same level physical wise, so the concept of superiority is left to influence, and popularity."


"Which then result in incompetent leadership and delayed improvement," Locket added curtly.


…


"As expected, you possess a mind that will be helpful in enlightening me over some curious aspects of this 'new' world," She praised with an unexpected degree of satisfaction. "But for now, I think this discussion is over. I don't wish to alarm your 'minder' of our presence and… I saw fit to contact the proper medical authorities by using your voice."


And that was enough to make me frown in confusion. She can do that and-


"Why?"


She didn't reply, merely standing up and leading her two goons to an open window by the end of the room. They left without saying anything, but instead of me staying put to try and think about what just happened, I rushed back to Mr. Todd and helped him in a stabler position.


He was alive, but he remained unconscious even by the time the ambulance arrived to pick him up.


Work day was cut short on this occurrence as the boss was a close friend with the humble old worker. I might have gained some good points with the chief, but my confusion still lingered even when I reached back for my office.


Luna was annoyed that I took so long, but her irritation turned in panic when I explained to her what just happened.


Let's just say that now I had something important for Lucy to relay back to Ludwig.


And I really wasn't sure what was going on with the former Grand Voice to make her step away from brutality in order to… just understand what was around her.

 

[JustBukharin]

- Slow Day -
(or 'How I spent a surprisingly calm conversation with Lucy')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


"Have you ever dug over your dead friend's past?"


Lucy's query was enough to drive me out of my nap, drawing my tired stare on her as she regarded me with a mirthful grin.


Luna was spending some time by my room to read her comics, and she had possibly known that Lucy was there to begin with.


What an unneeded issue.


Four days had gone since I had last encountered Locket. Ludwig had been informed, and the Grand Voice had expressed no small grimace over the revelation that his headquarters were known to the enemy.


Instead of coming personally to inquire about all details, the leader of the Kivouachians sent Yeshua on his stead.


The professional killer was somewhat polite enough to not impose his presence during his stay, and while both him and Luna looked ready to jump on each other in a murderous dance born from anger and irritation, they both managed to hold themselves back from making any messy brawl in my house.


But while the visit itself wasn't anything truly worrying yet, the queries made by Yeshua were far from what I was expecting.


He seemed to focus more on the 'state' in which Locket and her minions were instead of anything concerning the info I could've given to them. There was a degree of certainty in his trust over the fact I hadn't betrayed Ludwig, but what truly set me in a gloomy mood for the next couple of days were the strange parting words he gave before leaving.


"I don't know you well enough to make an accurate judgment, but I will say this only because of convenience rather than faith in your genuineness," The kivouachian muttered with a calm voice. "Locket will seek you once more. And I already told Luna that Ludwig wants these encounters to happen."


"You mean that-"


"You will be bait. One that will have the role of luring Locket to spill more of what she is trying to accomplish," Yeshua interjected without hesitation. "Something is different about her. She is more careful and less arrogant with her moves."


"Could it be fear? She is risking a lot," I suggested with a distracted tone, my mind still trying to wrap around the idea I was going to be exposed to danger once again.


"No. If there is something that I know of Locket, it's that she would act even more erratic if she was frightened by something."


… "Dizzy Jones?"


He gave me a tense glance at that name. "I suppose you've been told."


Nodding, I allowed him to continue as he sighed and prepared to offer his own theory over the matter.


"It could be. And that worries me for various reasons."


Yeshua didn't expand more about it, and left the flat with just this simple concern for me to ponder about.


Things were slow, almost too slow. The lack of problems and the peace should've been enough to bring me into a calm state, but… it didn't happen. I couldn't help but realize that at this point it would've been better if things 'happened' as quickly as possible.


Less suspense, less chances of being killed for a mistaken word.


And now here I was, resting on the couch after a long day at work. Lucy was sitting on my stomach, her head tilted on the side as to show a degree of impatience at my lack of a response.


"Oh? Are we playing the silent game now?" The murderous critter inquired rhetorically. "If so, then I guess I should start by biting off your arms and- "


"No, I never… checked."


Slightly irked at being interrupted on her threat, Lucy still gave me a perplexed look about my response.


"Why not? Don't you want to know the scumbags that ditched her in that orphanage?" She asked with some curiosity. "Maybe even to just know why they left her to rot in that place?"


"And then what?" I rebuked calmly, letting out a tired sigh as I glanced up at the ceiling. "I swear, Lucy. You always… bring up the worst topics possible to a conversation."


"Worst? You mean best! The mere thought that you could've made things funnier by creating more victims… it's amusing."


"I have a serious question: how did Celia deal with all of this?" I asked back with a confused frown. "Jokes aside, you can be unnecessarily graphic when you're bored."


Her grin faltered for a moment at the sudden topic change, but she took that simple pause to adjust herself on my stomach and settle her back on it.


"I think… I used to not do that around her."


"You think?"


"I don't remember much of it before the end of it all. I… I kind of lost touch with that bit of reality."


Either because of pain, or it's been way too long since those 'happier times'.


"But from what I remember… Celia was never much of a conversationalist in public," Lucy explained after sighing. "She appreciated the company when we were alone, but when there were others around us… she would prefer things to be quiet."


"And she got you to comply, how?"


"She was a very good fighter," The murderous critter remarked. "Very experienced, very vicious… and that was enough to get me blushing."


"No."


"And then she would play with my headless body-"


"Stop it."


"There was also one time where she had me dangling, but she wasn't holding me from my tail and-"


"CEASE!" I exclaimed before jumping at the smiling Kiv, swiftly assaulting her with some tickles.


Differently from last time, Lucy felt less interested in breaking from my hold, instead drowning her mind in her own giggles for the time being.


It was odd to see her so subdued for once, but I counted this more as a blessing than else. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her usual self and… I think she got that message.


Still, I couldn't help but take notice of this bizarre instance and think a little more about it rather than just letting go of it.


I stopped tickling her and she lost a few moments to normalize her breathing. Her chin was now on my lower chest, and her tail was twirling around above herself.


"So, why?"


"Hmm?" She hummed confused. "'Why' What?"


"Last time you were angry that I tickled you."


"In front of others? I consider it rather humiliating," Lucy admitted calmly. "But this… this is alright. It's… human, right?"


I blinked at the strange question. "I mean, yes? I guess that could be considered that."


"Let me ask you this, do you really believe that when I say 'friend' I mean that I would just impose myself on you… so frequently?" She rebuked with a dry tone. "Sure, it's quick fun but… we're friends, so why shouldn't I take consideration of you?"


...I don't understand.


"Lucy-"


"I guess it's odd. I bet it's incredibly suspicious but..." She sighed. "I just want to do something different. I'm bored, Locket is being crazy, and I can no longer torture Dorothy because Ludwig is 'planning something'."


I was confused over that last part, but I decided to keep on the present stuff.


"So you just wanted to try something new."


The kivouachian nodded, and I sighed.


"You know, it's kind of frustrating to imagine you being so… simplistic. You're more vicious in these instances," I pointed out, and she nodded again.


"That's because it's my usual thing. But now? I'm pretty much bored. And I really need to think without anything too distracting."


Narrowing my eyes at that, I gave her an interested look.


"It was Shuck, wasn't it?"


She didn't speak, her eyes turning away as she continued to keep silent on the matter.


Sighing once more, I shook my head. "Lucy-"


"It's not my fucking fault he's chasing some smoke trail by sucking it up for her," She interjected fiercely. "Expecting Felicity to give him something new… he's just a fool."


...


"You're worried he's going to fuck up a lot?"


"Yep."


…


"Maybe you should let him make that mistake," I suggested. "It might sound insensitive for him, but if I think he's old enough to slam his head in a brick wall if he wants to."


She sighed. "And then he wouldn't want to see me for a couple of centuries."


"That's because he would expect you to tease him about it. That would be quite a humiliating defeat, regardless if you're helping him or not," I remarked with a shrug. "But maybe you could still offer him moral support when the worst happens and get him to drink his sorrows away."


"Isn't that a bad thing among humans?"


"You kivs can't be killed by alcohol. At this point I think that would work on dealing with that kind of trouble."


She snorted. "I would cheer on that if I had a good drink."


"And yet you're here to pester me."


Her eyes narrowed on me for a moment. "Now you're being a goddamn prick."


"And you're still a twat."


…


"Do you think Luna and Ludwig will ever-"


"Get a bed and get done with it?" Lucy interrupted with a crass tone. "Since they're not planning to set down a family, especially with newborn Kivouachians lusting over their parents' blood, I don't see that ever happening."


…


"You mean to tell me that they didn't-"


"Nope."


…


"That's kind of sad," I commented.


"You think it's sad?" Lucy grinned mirthfully. "Think that they have been hovering around each other for billions of years. Imagine the kind of frustrating scenes I would be forced to see just because none of these two can get things done properly."


Before I could add more to this topic, finding it as refreshing as entertaining for us both, I froze for a moment as I saw someone peering from the doorstep of the living room.


Luna was giving me the deadest of stares, and I silently stared at her while Lucy blatantly ignored her arrival.


"You… you two are bastards."


"Did you finish your comics?"


Her scowl intensified at the rebuttal, but she seemed unwilling to strike in that precise situation.


Maybe it was because Lucy was there, or because ending me now would mean being deprived of things to do and… getting her possible boyfriend mad.


"I forgot to tell you that I got five more today. Should still be by the kitchen."


Her eyes lit up at that minor offering, but her 'betrayed' look persisted a little more before she ultimately relented.


"You're sleeping on the floor again."


"You share the same bed?" Lucy inquired teasingly and I snorted.


"No, but she has this punishment where she takes the bed and leaves me on the floor."


…


"I feel really tempted to say 'whipped', but then I would've to explain to Ludwig why."


…


Luna groaned frustrated, swiftly retreating to pick up the new comics and hole herself in a room.


Yep, today was truly a slow day for sure.


"So… sleepover?" I suggested.


"I might murder you."


…


"I don't think that's a no."


She started to laugh after that.


Maybe things can change for good. Maybe.

 

[JustBukharin]

- Difficult Questions -
(or 'How I learned that Hyzenthlay knows how to make uncomfortable questions')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


With the fact that we learned that Locket was easily able to find me, it was only natural for Ludwig to rescind all prohibitions over the usage of devices.


A full week has passed since I've faced the monstrous being, and yet I still haven't encountered her again. I guess my luck was starting to grant me a good omen… or maybe something horrible was just being prepared as I gloated in this simple peace.


Regardless, I was still trying to deal with this circumstance as well as I could and… I guess things were working well. Kind of.


At first I was reluctant to start my PC at the chance of being 'invaded' by the former Grand Voice, but then I started to think that it was more probable for her to find me while I was out and in the open.


Booting up the computer led to three curious issues that I hadn't taken under consideration. The first was that I needed to make sure the boss didn't connect this 'regression' to what had happened in the archives.


Then there was the fact that I didn't feel too happy to be doing my job from hope considering how bad the situation with paperwork currently was. I had to still check on the workplace at least once or twice a week to either fix current issues, or even prevent the creation of new mistakes.


Finally, I found that Luna was getting a little too interested in the PC.


Youtube was the site she visited the most, while she would check on places like Deviantart and FA without once in a while.


How do I know this? Let's just say she never learned about the importance of clearing the browser history.


At least she wasn't checking any premium website or trying to use my cash to buy stuff online. Hopefully this is a lasting sign of friendship.


And so, with work from home now available once again, I found myself facing a simple circumstance where I was going through the final folders of today's work.


Luna was checking by the window, a piece of paper on her side and a pen in her right hand as she was trying to visualize a scene she wanted to draw.


But she wasn't the only Kiv in the room.


Shuck had, much to my immense annoyance and disappointment, taken the bed for himself for a few hours of rest. Seeing the big beast happily napping on the mattress left me incredibly jealous of having my own rest occupied after this dreadful workday.


Meanwhile Hyzenthlay was sitting on the same table where the computer was. Instead of drowning herself in some literature, the Squirrel-like Kivouachian had decided to see what I was doing.


At first she was confused over the complicated calculations, but swiftly enough managed to get a grasp over the high numbers I was working with.


It was fairly amusing how she would also point out if I made a mistake somewhere after just an hour of looking at what I was doing.


All in all, I was under the impression this was going to end in another slow day. One without Lucy, and with less crazy shenanigans to face.


A yawn escaped my lips as I took a moment to stare at the current progress made. I gave a tiny nod to myself as I deemed it enough to take a pause for today.


After saving and closing the document I had been working on, I decided to start the browser program and… I turned to Hyzenthlay.


"Do you want to see anything in particular?"


The question caught her off-guard, her eyes widening as she addressed me.


"You're already done with work?"


I nodded, only now realizing that I didn't say anything about my plans to end things there.


"The last ten minutes were to get some of tomorrow's workload completed, so I finished a long time ago," I replied with a nod. "Still, is there anything in particular you want to see?"


Reluctance flashed for a moment as the girl thought about what she was supposed to say.


On one hand, this was a chance for me to see if the little Kiv had other interests beyond reading books.


After a couple of seconds spent quietly thinking about the matter, Hyzenthlay spoke up.


"I want to see… Hamlet."


I blinked at the curious choice, but I felt a distinct suspicion that this wasn't what I was thinking about.


"The Theatrical work or the book?"


Much to my restrained groan, the squirrel looked uneasy at this very question. She had been planning for the latter, but I guess the unexpected query got her backing away from it.


"I-I wanted to check the wiki page," The Kiv blurted out. "Yes, I… wanted to see how it is divided."


Ignoring the odd save, I decided to comply and open up the proper page. It took a moment for the screen to load, and soon the squirrel was silently reading the content of the wiki.


I was quiet, silently scanning over the summary before scrolling down to the plot once Hyznethlay was done reading it herself.


At first I didn't find any interesting details on the play as I've studied this ages ago. But the more I scrolled down through the Acts, the more I found a simple thought slowly but dangerous creeping within my mind.


Then the first hint that something was off about that request was given when Hyzenthlay asked a seemingly innocent question.


"What does the 'To be, or not to be' means?"


I blinked again, staring down at the squirrel.


"It's a soliloquy. Hamlet contemplates if he should go through with the murder of his uncle, or accept suicide as another option."


She looked surprised at first when I said this, then she looked uneasy and I caught her stealing a glance or two at me.


"Is there something wrong?"


She tensed up, her eyes finally braving and looking at my face.


"Lucy said that… you had something similar to this."


And with these words the world opened up to me. So this is what got the little Kiv this nervous… and why she was searching for Hamlet.


"Did she elaborate on that or-"


"She didn't," Hyzenthlay interjected quickly. "She just said that you had this choice before and… that it should be 'obvious' to understand which one you picked."


…


"I didn't murder anyone."


"But you're still there," The Squirrel quipped, only to shake her head in embarrassment. "I-I mean, it's not like it's bad but-"


"You expect me to confess to a terrible crime."


She managed a nod, deciding against messing things up with some unneeded stuttering.


"I hurt someone," I muttered calmly. "But there was a reason."


"Then tell me why."


…


"They did something terrible to me," I continued with a somber tone. "Something that I found unforgivable."


"Mason. What did they do to you?" For a brief moment, I found myself surprised at the strange tone behind her voice.


"I… I saw life being robbed from someone that didn't deserve any of the pain she went through," I replied tensely. "Someone that I cared for, that I wanted to see prosper and succeed."


…


"Let's just say that life isn't always a nice thing no matter how hard you try to make it otherwise."


"Something will always come back and bite your butt," Shuck added calmly, prompting the two of us to look at him.


He didn't speak after that, but my attention was taken by Luna as she was looking at us with an interested look.


Once she noticed that I was looking back at her, the kiv returned back to her drawing, trying her best to not appear fascinated any longer.


I returned my sight to Hyzenthlay and sighed.


"Lucy asked me to tell her about it when we started to talk about private stuff," I kept on explaining. "She found it another thing we 'have in common' and said that I shouldn't be ashamed of it."


"But you did this out of reaction," The squirrel rebuked. "Surely that's not something Lucy can relate to-"


"Except she could," Shuck quipped dryly. "In fact, you're missing her point altogether. It's not the reason, but the way he handled the matter that connects these two."


Hyzenthlay paused with her words. She glanced momentarily to address the dark-furred Kivouachian's comment before her sight went back at me.


"What is he… talking about?"


I stared at Shuck a little longer, seeing how Lucy would've told about it to the guy but… I wonder what he thought out of it.


Probably nothing. Probably he saw it as a small facet of my 'normalcy'.


Sighing, I turned back to the Squirrel.


Maybe I should be honest about it. It wasn't like I was talking with the usual kivouachian. I didn't expect her to understand, yes, but I was also aware that she wouldn't confuse any of what I was telling her.


And so I replied and… I didn't hold back anything.


The anger, the hatred, then the grinning and the chuckling. It was all so connected and so confusedly pleasant to remember and mention, but not in a fond way.


It was like looking back at a previous fall and almost joking about it.


Hyzenthlay didn't interrupt the story, keeping quiet as I continued to speak.


I felt a burden genuinely getting lifted off from me. It was odd how this hadn't happened with Lucy.


Actually, it wasn't too odd. Especially with the fact I was sharing crazy stories with a murderous critter.


Surely not my finest hour.


My lips felt dry as I drew out the last word of that lengthy narration, and I felt that very silence that had kept me going now turning against me. The nervousness replaced the genuine interest to say the truth as I waited for a judgment.


Despite my reluctance to confide in others, I knew that I could trust in her in giving me a genuine response to this.


Her eyes were wide open and she was gawking a little bit. Still, she blinked, her stare narrowing on me for a moment.


"I want to ask you one last thing then. Something that you should be able to say now that you came out clean," Her eyes softened for a moment as she said this. "Do you regret what you did?"


…


"Yes."


It was a quick response. Despite my own uncertainty about it I knew that it was only legitimate for me to say that I was guilty of that crime. And the guilt tasted the bitterest of tastes even after many years of quiet and peace had gone by.


A tiny smile popped on her lips and she stood up from her little seat on the table to approach me. Her paws pressed on my chest and she pressed quite strongly.


"And I believe you."


My eyes widened at that.


"But before you think that I'm saying this because you're one of the few ones that care if I'm hurt or… if I find something uncomfortable, I want you to know that this is my own unbiased opinion," Hyzenthlay added with a nod. "You did horrible things all in the name of some revenge you forced yourself to make. You didn't do it out of care for the one you lost, you did it because you were hurt and you wanted those that hurt you to suffer as much or even worse than you did."


I gave a tiny nod at that, my mood dampening at that continuation… but then her head leaned onto my chest.


"You know, I've read that if someone is afraid of something they did, and they fear that it could make them become something bad… maybe they are the opposite of what they fear."


My right hand was trembling as I reached for her head and gave it a pat.


"Thank… you."


Silence ensued after this, as we both allowed the quietness to take away any remaining uneasiness from the previous discussion.


But someone took this scene with interest while we were both distracted.


Luna was frowning at us, her hold over her pen tightening mightily as she pondered about what she was looking at.


The day was far from over…


-----------------

AN

It's been a while. I've been busy writing the first few chapters of 'The Golden Month' prequel, Among Stars.

 

[JustBukharin]

- Blank Canvas -
(or 'How Luna and I learned that things weren't that bad for the two of us')​

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius


I was close to falling asleep. My head felt fuzzy as my thoughts carefully lulled me into whatever was waiting on the other side.


Dreams or nightmares, I wasn't the one that picked the entertainment while I was resting.


The bed was soft and slightly cold considering that it's been hours since it was lastly used. Shuck had been lying on it for a while when I was busy with my work, but I had decided to change covers for both the mattress and pillows once he was gone from the flat.


I didn't have anything against the guy, only that I found it rather unpleasant to sleep in my bed with a couple black hairs having remained on it once he had left.


Closing my eyes as I enjoyed the pleasant silence that echoed around the house, I felt just a step away from accepting Morpheus' hold when a calm voice broke the quietness the room was drowning into.


"Are you… still awake?"


The query came from Luna. I could recognize her voice.


She was sitting at the edge of the bed, her shoulders pressing on the pillow that stood between her and the wall that was connected to the bed.


I was covered by two layers of sheets that were hiding away my face from where she was sitting by, and my brain just wasn't in the mood to offer a response to that. I was just tired, and I wanted to fall asleep at once.


The silence that followed her question lasted just for a couple of seconds. A sigh preceded the beginning of quite the unexpected development.


"I guess you're not. Once again I was late with something so important," Luna muttered, leaning the back of her head onto the solid wall behind her. A quiet thud dignified the action, but the rest of the scene I could only tell from her voice as she kept on talking.


"It's ironic how… I can't still talk when I need to. I fought and killed- I still do the latter but… but I can't get myself to speak my mind when I should," The Kivouachian thought with a quiet voice, my ears still listening to her as I kept myself from completely zone out.


My eyes were still shut, but my attention was mostly on this curious predicament.


What is she talking about? And why did she want to talk to me about it?


Did I do something wrong with her? Maybe I threw a hint or two too many about her romance with Ludwig?


I wasn't sure, so I remained silent as she went on with her simple monologue.


"But maybe it's… it's just right that I'm here. I deserved to be humbled and turned into a simple grunt assigned to a task easier than the one I had in Vegas," Luna admitted dryly. "I could've handled that situation better. I shouldn't have… allowed emotions to overrule my sense of responsibility."


This had to do with what happened between her and Yeshua. Now I knew why she wasn't 100% convinced about speaking up about it. Then again, why was the one she wanted to explain this to?


I wasn't a Kiv, nor did I expect to get much respect from their kind. I was human, a simian, and more of a burden to their efforts than anything else.


And while I knew that Luna and I were little more than mere acquaintances, I was surprised by her interest in divulging personal details about herself.


Surprised and interested.


"The worst thing about it is that while I'm angry at Yeshua… I know that he didn't mean to be an utter jerk," She continued, her voice holding a degree of understanding. "He was always the one that showed loyalty and trust in such a crude and blunt manner. I still think- no, I'm sure he could've handled it differently."


…


"It doesn't help that I'm only angry at him because of how he went about it, not because he ended up doing it," She muttered, stopping for a moment before groaning. "And what I just said sounds so cursed..."


Incredibly so, I wanted to add but decided to keep inside my head.


I was tempted to break the little 'scene' just to 'miraculously' wake up and deal with this properly, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to screw the chances of learning what drove Luna to end up here when her previous job was to keep an eye over what happened in Fontaine's area of control.


So I allowed this to continue, pushing back the little uneasiness I was feeling about this circumstance.


A long sigh, then I saw her quietly slip down until her head rested on the pillow and her hooves were hanging out of the bed.


"I feel like I should be angrier. Even though I was spared the worst with the dumb decision I made, I feel like… I could've done worse," She pointed out confused. "And yet I didn't. Why can't I feel angry now that you're no longer here, Bob?"


...Who is Bob?


"Gah! And now I can't- I can't just think about him," Luna groaned. "I'm better than this, I've new priorities now..."


…


…


That was it?


I was perplexed over the lack of a continuation, a couple of sighs ensuing during these moments of silence but I knew that there was so much that was being withhold from that one-sided recounting.


Instead of hoping for her to resume her talk, I knew that I had to intervene myself now that I had a segway to use for the planned conversation.


Luna tensed up as I quietly shuffled in my bed, the covers moving as my face was revealed to her.


The kiv's nervous stare was met by the groggy one I had plastered on my visage.


"Who… is Bob?"


Her jaws dropped, and a surprised look replaced her nervous one as she realized what I had just said.


"Y-you were listening?"


…


"Yes."


Her tension increased at the simple reply.


"And how much did you… hear?"


And now I'm the one feeling uneasy.


Instead of lingering too much over the query, I decided to give the safest answer possible.


"Yes."


Her eyes narrowed at my face with an annoyed glint. I could tell this was bad, but it would've been definitely worse if I had said something else.


"And you didn't reply to anything I was saying… why?"


"Too tired." was the first and legitimate reason, but not the only one. "Also, I think you needed to vent for a little bit. Which you were doing while I wasn't talking."


"So now you're awake and… what? What are you going to do with what you've heard?"


I stared at her for a long time, my eyes betraying none of the curiosity I had over the topic I wanted to ask her about.


Despite my fascination, I knew that I couldn't press her to give answers that I wanted to learn about. Still, I had to ask and… I decided for the critical point that seemed to have caused her minor fall from grace.


"Who is Bob?"


Her teeth gritted, and I was half-sure she was planning to keep silent and not reply to that question.


It was a rather tense situation, and I still felt too tired to give proper emotional attention to the predicament.


"He was… someone I cared for. Or at least, I think I cared."


…


"Why do you feel… it wasn't true?"


She sighed at my followup question, her sight moving away from me.


"It was true, but it wasn't right," Luna rebuked with a cryptic tone. "And I guess I got deluded into fake happiness because of it."


…


"Why?"


She snorted, looking back at me with a bitter smile. "Do you have a limited vocabulary or something?"


"I'm still tired," I rebuked quietly, letting out a yawn to emphasize that.


Shrugging, the kiv turned away from me once again. "Fair enough."


"My question-"


"Is a tough one," Luna retorted strongly. "Plus… I bet you don't even know why I wanted you to tell you about this."


… "No, I don't."


"Well, I thought that you would've been a good judge about what happened since you have… a decent relationship with Hyzenthlay."


And why does Hyzenthlay matter in this context? What connected her to it?


I thought about it for a moment, and then my drained mind started to make connections and established a simple but interesting supposition.


"Bob was a hybrid like Hyzenthlay, wasn't he?" I guessed and I blinked as Luna nodded and sighed at my words.


"Bob was… my responsibility when he first came to be. We were inseparable and… I felt happy to have him around," She confessed with a tiny sad smile. "Then Ludwig ordered the elimination of any failure to the hybridization process. It was around the time Hyzenthlay was created and… Bob wasn't a successful experiment."


"What did he fail to have? Surely there are… details that caused Ludwig to order this."


"Many experiments went mad in the last two centuries of trying with this endeavor. Some were capable of overcoming seasoned Kivouachians with ease and ended up requiring numerous former members of the Yolsh to be brought down," Luna explained with a nervous tone. "Bob was tiny, he wasn't a threat… but he still had too many flaws to even be deemed a partial success. He couldn't understand emotions… beyond love."


"What?" I was confused by this revelation. This kiv could only love? What kind of love was she talking about? Affection, care, romantic, friendly, lustful- there were so many degrees of love that it was impossible to just limit to that word.


"From the very moment he started living, the only reaction that he would provide to any action or word towards him was love," She elaborated with some more details. "Everything for him was love. No bad, no evil- only love."


...That sounded incredibly dysfunctional.


"So he depended on you? He couldn't live without your direct intervention with basic meals and other needs?"


…


"Yes."


I gritted my teeth, now seeing why Luna was quite adamant in keeping this limited to a small cast of people. Not only the odds stacked against any defense she could've gotten out of that situation were damning, but she was also making it sound like there was a genuine reason to keep on with that unhealthy predicament.


This Bob… it sounded less like a real living being the more I heard. The imperfect kiv was incapable of defending itself from external threat, and it didn't have the means to survive with his basic needs.


In a normal circumstance, I wouldn't favor a mercy kill. But this wasn't normal, far from it. And no, I wasn't just thinking of the fact this was about Kivouachians.


It was the fact that Bob was born less of a living being and more of a machine incapable of loving.


One can enter in endless discussions if the individual in question was human. But Bob was a Kivouachian, and any genetic mistake wasn't looked well by the rest of their species.


Considering how crude Yeshua was, I could see why his action threw her off-guard. If it had been as quick as Luna made it appear with her allusion, then I could see why she was unable to genuinely hate on the red-furred Kiv.


She was still staring at me for an answer, and I gritted my teeth again as I knew that I had to be as honest as I could be without risking my life in the process.


"What do you find… confusing about the matter?"


Her eyes blinked, and then she sighed. "I want to know why I can't feel… remorse for losing Bob. I had him for years and yet I… I just can't feel angry about his passing."


…


"That's because you know it was better this way," I replied calmly. "You already knew that if Yeshua didn't kill him, it would've been someone else. His death warrant was already enlisted, and he lived an empty life-"


"I cared for him."


"And he couldn't show anything to reward your hard work. He didn't have the means to."


Her mouth opened to refute what I had just said, but she stopped. Her eyes widened as if she had realized that whatever she had planned to say wasn't going to fly by me.


Something that she knew herself was bad to bring up.


"Luna," I muttered quietly. "What were you trying to tell me now?"


The kiv tried to look surprised and confused, but my serious look seemed to bring her out of that farce as she finally confessed a detail that screwed any effort to stand against Yeshua's action.


"H-He… he cared."


He couldn't, and yet she thought it possible.


Thinking about it, Lucy did bring up a while ago that some Kivouachians had experienced PTSD during the war against Mandus. The incapacity to look back and see themselves retain the same personality as they once had.


The happiness, the pleasant resolution of being alive.


It was all put in question when Mandus came and toyed with their best warriors.


Luna was part of the Yolsh, and she worked closely with Yeshua.


One would expect for two soldiers to keep a friendly relationship and faith in each other even after a war.


But this wasn't the case… because of Luna.


It was odd how Luna was someone that was sent the furthest away from the large majority of people by Ludwig's own interest of having someone he could trust near to Fontaine… and Fontaine didn't mind the choice since he was fond of Luna.


But how much of this was actually Ludwig's blunder in keeping tracks of people's emotions and how much of it was manipulation? I couldn't see him do that to Luna.


Me? He would do it without hesitation nor plan. But Luna? That just sounded plain absurd and inane.


"What do you think?"


The Kiv's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I blinked slowly as I addressed the matter one more time.


"I think… this entire situation is terribly complicated."


"What?" She asked with a shocked look. "You mean to tell me that you spent these minutes in complete silence to end up with this?"


"How much time has passed since this happened?"


"A month," Luna replied without restraint.


"Then why don't you have an answer yourself?" I rhetorically pressed on before sighing and giving her a serious look. "Luna, I don't want to sound mean or stupid to you. I understand how much this means to you but… You have to understand that while Bob is a hybrid, he is not Hyzenthlay, and I refuse to compare one to the other."


"But-"


"But it is also true that I'm not you and you have a different set of feelings about the matter," I interjected with a shrug. "Which is why you asked for my opinion on the matter. Yet, let me ask this to you, did you really expect for me to give you a complete agreement over your confused defense for Bob?"


…


"Luna, you are you. I don't wish to be the guy that tells you that this kind of stuff is up to you to understand and make a solid decision about, but I have to," I continued to say with a kind voice. "Right now, I know you're thinking about many things. The first and foremost I guess is that you feel at fault for not feeling bad for the situation. You can't bring yourself to legitimately hate how things turned into and… that is telling."


"It's unfair," She replied angrily. "I-I cared for him."


"No."


…


"W-What?"


"You cared for the words he said, not for his entire set of merits and flaws. In your eyes, Bob was a living being that just existed to praise and give you worth. He was a crutch for you, but still he wasn't one that genuinely served to help you through your own trouble," I concluded with a nod. "If you want to really want to talk to someone, spend some time away from monotony, then I can assure you that speaking with those that are willing to listen is the best way to do that."


…


Did I do it?


…


"I don't know how to… grasp this," Luna admitted with a blank tone. "You're right, this is very complicated."


At this point I was sitting on my bed, with the need of sleep completely forgotten as I felt like I couldn't just roll over and get a quick rest after this very situation.


It was strange, yet not the first time I was forced to stay awake for serious reasons despite being tired and in need of a couple of hours to sleep.


And instead of complaining to myself about it, I decided to do something without a precedent regarding this kind of situation.


I stood up off the bed, drawing Luna's attention on me and… shrugged.


"I'm bored," I said quietly, turning to face her. "Wanna do a drawing challenge?"


Giving me a long look, the kiv tried to make sense out of this escalation.


"What?"


"Drawing challenge, now. Wanna join me?"


"Mason, it's… it's almost midnight-"


"And you don't sleep, so I don't see the issue," I interjected calmly.


"But you do need to rest," Luna rebuked almost as quickly as I finished with my interruption. "Plus… why?"


"I told you. I'm bored. And I bet I can kick your butt again at drawing."


She snorted. "I completely won that. You were lucky with that flattering but amateurish effort."


"Then prove me wrong again," I rebuked eagerly. "Or are you going to chicken out of this?"


I didn't get an answer out of that as I saw her bolt towards me. The mere sight of the kiv rushing at me had me running as quickly as I could for the kitchen.


She giggled the whole time and, for a brief moment, I realized how strangely lighter it felt compared to before.


This night opened some doors to the future, and yet closed some relating to the past.